Iona University Athletics

RUSTON, LA – The Iona University Volleyball team battled Houston Christian in its final match of the 2026 Jambalaya Jam. After falling behind two sets to one, the Gaels rallied to force a decisive fifth set before using a late push to secure a 3-2 comeback victory and earn their first win of the 2026 season.

THE RUNDOWN: IONA: 3, HOUSTON CHRISTIAN: 2

SET 1: After the Maroon & Gold opened the set with an attack error, they utilized a kill from senior Buse Tinaz and two Houston Christian attack errors to build an early 3-1 lead. The Huskies answered with two unanswered points following a pair of Gael errors, but Iona bounced back with a 3-0 run highlighted by two kills from senior Ezzie Thompson, a kill from sophomore Julia Leonardo and a service ace from junior Kari Smith to give the Gaels a five-point lead. Iona's lead continued to hover around four to five points as the set reached its midway point. Houston Christian then went on an 8-3 run to knot the score at 19. The Huskies used that momentum to close the set on a 7-4 run and take the opening frame, 26-24.

SET 2: The Huskies continued right where they left off in the second set, opening with three straight points and using that momentum to build a 6-2 lead. The Gaels answered with three unanswered points, as an ace from Smith and kills from Thompson and Leonardo brought Iona within one at 6-5. Houston Christian responded with a 6-2 run of its own to push its lead back to five. As the set neared its midway point, the Gaels answered with a 6-2 run to cut the Huskies' lead to one at 14-13. A service ace from Smith then knotted the score at 15, marking the first tie of the set. The teams continued to battle back and forth until a kill from Tinaz sparked a 6-1 run that propelled the Gaels past Houston Christian, 25-22, to even the match at one set apiece.

SET 3: Set three began with back-and-forth rallies and the teams trading points until the Huskies went on a 9-1 run to build a seven-point cushion at 16-9. The Gaels responded by capitalizing on a pair of Houston Christian errors, along with a kill from Leonardo and a service ace from Smith, to cut the deficit to four. The Huskies then utilized an 8-4 run late in the set to top the Gaels, 25-17, and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

SET 4: Facing an important fourth set, the Maroon & Gold got on the board with a Houston Christian attack error. With the Huskies leading 3-2, Iona scored seven unanswered points, highlighted by two kills from sophomore Katherine Ferng, along with kills from Leonardo and Thompson, to build a 9-3 lead. The Huskies responded with four straight points, including three kills, to cut the Gaels' lead to two. Iona answered back strongly, scoring seven unanswered points with Ferng and Thompson combining for five of the seven points during the run to extend the lead to 16-7. After the teams traded a few points and the score stood at 18-10, the Gaels scored four unanswered to take control of the set. Iona closed out the frame, 25-13, to force a decisive fifth set.

SET 5: The decisive fifth set opened with a kill from the Huskies before the Gaels responded with two points following a Houston Christian attack error and a service ace from Tinaz. Both teams continued to battle throughout the set, with neither side holding a lead larger than two points. With the score tied at 12-10, a pair of Huskies errors, a service ace from Smith and a kill from Thompson pushed the Gaels toward the finish line. A Houston Christian service error capped off the comeback, as the Maroon & Gold completed the comeback with a 15-12 fifth-set victory to win the match, 3-2.

IONA Performers

• Leonardo led the Gaels' attack with 14 kills. Thompson followed with 12 kills while posting a .524 hitting percentage.
• Freshman Alex Patsos had ten kills on the afternoon.
• Ferng tallied a career high eight kills. 
• Junior Jaylyn Simon had a career-high 43 assists. 
• Junior Avery Gaume anchored the defense with 25 kills while sophomore Joy Houdre had tied her career high with 13 digs. 
• Thompson totaled five blocks assists. 

THE OPPONENT

• Sa'Myah Medford & Katy Barger led the attack for the Huskies as they both had 12 kills. 
• Enisilina Savelio was the assist leader with 39. 
• Savelio and Barger led the defense for the Huskies with 14 digs. 

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SOCIAL MEDIA