RUSTON, LA – The Iona University volleyball team faced the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in its first match of the 2026 season and its opening contest of the 2026 Jambalaya Jam. The Gaels opened the match strong, jumping out to an 8-2 lead in the first set before a lengthy run by the Bulldogs shifted the momentum in their favor. Sets two and three featured a consistent back-and-forth battle between the two programs, with Louisiana Tech using late runs in both frames to secure the match victory.
THE RUNDOWN: Louisiana tech: 3, Iona: 0
SET 1: The first points of the 2026 season for the Maroon & Gold came off a kill from senior
Buse Tinaz. Tinaz's kill sparked an early run for the Gaels, who jumped out to an 8-2 lead. The Bulldogs would not go down quietly, however, responding with a commanding 16-4 run to take an 18-12 lead. Louisiana Tech's lead would continue to hover around six points for the remainder of the set, as the Bulldogs took the opening frame, 25-19.
SET 2: The Gaels' first point of the second set came off a Louisiana Tech attack error. The frame began as a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading consecutive points. A pair of Bulldog errors and a service ace from Tinaz helped the Gaels build a 8-4 lead. As the back-and-forth battle continued, a pair of kills and an attack error knotted the set at 12-12. A kill from senior
Ezzie Thompson gave the Gaels the lead, and a Louisiana Tech attack error on the following rally extended the Maroon & Gold's advantage to 14-12. The Gaels would eventually push their lead to four following three consecutive Bulldog errors, making the score 17-13. Louisiana Tech responded with a 5-2 run to regain the lead. The Maroon & Gold were unable to generate a run of their own down the stretch, as the Bulldogs closed out the set, 25-23.
SET 3: The third set began in similar fashion to the opening frame, with both teams engaged in a close back-and-forth battle. Neither team led by more than two points early in the set. With the score tied at 7-7, junior
Kari Smith recorded a kill to give the Maroon & Gold their first lead of the frame, while an attack error extended the advantage to two. As the back-and-forth battle continued, the Bulldogs pushed their lead to four late in the set following a pair of kills and Gaels errors, making the score 17-13. A couple of Louisiana Tech errors allowed the Gaels to close the gap to 17-15. However, a late 5-2 run by the Bulldogs propelled them to the set victory, as the Maroon & Gold were unable to generate a run of their own. Louisiana Tech took the third and final set, 25-21.
IONA Performers
- Freshman Reese Henderson and sophomore Julia Leonardo led the attack for the Maroon & Gold with five kills each.
- Junior Jaylyn Simon was the assist leader with 12 on the evening. Freshman Grace Daniels was second in assists with seven.
- Junior Avery Gaume led the team in digs with 18. Junior Kari Smith was next in digs with 12.
- Tinaz totaled five block assists on the night.
THE OPPONENT
- Taylor Woods led the attack for the Bulldogs with 10 kills.
- Sydnee Carter was the leader in assists with 20.
- Riley Steubing anchored the defense for Louisiana Tech with 20 on the evening.
UP NEXT
The Maroon and Gold return to action tomorrow at 2 p.m. as they face off against Little Rock in game two of the Jambalaya Jam.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Iona Gaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and
YouTube (
Email Updates).
Iona Volleyball: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
