NORTH ANDOVER, MA – The Iona University volleyball team took down the Merrimack Warriors in a five-set thriller on Friday evening. After splitting the first four sets, the Maroon & Gold delivered in the decisive fifth set, using a late scoring run to secure the road victory.
the rundown: IONA: 3, MERRIMACK: 2
SET 1: The Gaels opened the scoring with a kill from sophomore Emma Koceja, but Merrimack responded with three consecutive points to take an early 3-1 lead. Koceja answered with another kill, followed by kills from senior Buse Tinaz and junior Kari Smith, as Iona reclaimed the lead at 4-3. The Maroon & Gold continued their momentum, using a Merrimack attack error and a 3-1 run to extend their advantage to 7-4. The Warriors responded with a 4-2 run to pull within one. Iona maintained a narrow 11-9 lead before Merrimack's offense erupted for a 6-1 run to take a 15-12 advantage. Following several back-and-forth rallies, the Warriors held an 18-16 lead before closing the set with a commanding 7-2 run to secure a 25-18 opening-set victory.
SET 2: The second set opened with a tightly contested back-and-forth battle, with neither team leading by more than two points as Merrimack held an 8-7 advantage. The Warriors' lead would not last long, as a kill from Leonardo sparked a 7-1 Iona run, capped off by an ace from freshman Grace Daniels, to give the Maroon & Gold a 15-8 lead. Merrimack responded with three consecutive points to cut the deficit to four, but Iona answered with three straight of its own, highlighted by a kill from Koceja, a joint block from Tinaz and Koceja, and another kill from Tinaz to extend the lead to 18-11. The Warriors continued to battle, putting together a 6-1 run to pull within two at 19-17. Despite Merrimack's efforts to close the gap, the Gaels held their ground. A kill from Leonardo and two Merrimack attack errors gave Iona three consecutive points to close out the set with a 25-20 victory and even the match at one set apiece.
SET 3: The third set opened with another back-and-forth battle before Iona began to create separation. Two Merrimack errors and an ace from Smith helped the Gaels establish an 11-7 advantage. Both teams continued to trade points as a kill from Smith brought the set to its midway point with Iona leading 15-11. A Merrimack error extended the Gaels' lead to five, but the Warriors responded with three consecutive points to cut the deficit to 17-15. Iona quickly regained control, closing the set on an 8-2 run featuring kills from four different players. A joint block from junior Katherine Ferng and Tinaz capped off the run, securing a 25-17 third-set victory and putting the Gaels one set away from the match.
SET 4: Merrimack came out firing in the fourth set, opening with a 10-2 run to establish an early advantage as the Warriors looked to force a decisive fifth set. With the score at 11-3, a kill from Koceja sparked a 5-2 Iona run to bring the Gaels within five. However, Merrimack quickly regained control, putting together a 6-1 run to extend its lead to double digits at 19-9. The Gaels struggled to find their offensive rhythm for the remainder of the set, managing just two additional points as the Warriors closed things out with a 6-2 run to earn a 25-13 victory and force a deciding fifth set.
SET 5: The Maroon & Gold found themselves in an early hole as Merrimack opened the deciding set with a 4-1 run, looking to complete the comeback. However, the Warriors' advantage was short-lived, as a kill from Tinaz sparked a 6-1 Iona run, capped off by a joint block from freshmen Anissa Cooper and Daniels, to give the Gaels a 7-5 lead. Merrimack responded with a 4-1 run of its own to reclaim the advantage at 9-8. Iona continued to battle, as a kill from Ferng sparked three consecutive points to put the Gaels back in front, 11-9. The Warriors answered with two straight points to even the score at 11. With the match on the line, a joint block from Leonardo and Tinaz sparked a 4-2 closing run, capped off by a kill from Koceja, as Iona secured the fifth set, 15-13, to earn the five-set victory and complete the comeback.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Leonardo was the leading attacker for the Gaels with 10 kills. Tinaz, Koceja, and Smith all recorded ten kills.
- Junior Jaylyn Simon and Daniels each recorded 20 or more assists.
- The Maroon & Gold had six players with ten or more digs.
- Tinaz tallied three total blocks on the evening.
THE OPPONENT
- Shotwell led the team in kills with 15.
- DeBonis and Kenney each recorded 20 or more assists.
- Maldonado tallied 32 digs.
- Izzo led at the net for the Warriors with 4.0 total blocks.
NEXT MATCH
The Maroon and Gold return to action tomorrow as Connecticut to face off against the Quinnipiac Bobcats. First serve is schedule for 3 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+.
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