Iona University Athletics

NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona University volleyball team faced off against the NJIT Highlanders in their second game of the Iona Invitational. The Maroon & Gold fell behind after dropping the first set, but quickly found their groove, winning the next three sets to secure a match victory over the Highlanders.

THE RUNDOWN: IONA: 3, njit: 1

SET 1: The first set began with back-and-forth rallies, with the score knotted at four. NJIT then went on a 4-2 run to take an 8-6 lead. A kill from sophomore Julia Leonardo sparked a 4-2 run of their own, bringing the Gaels within one. With NJIT leading 10-9, a block from senior Buse Tinaz and Leonardo allowed Iona to knot the score at 10. The Highlanders responded with three unanswered points to take a 13-10 lead. The Gaels continued to claw back, with an ace from junior Jaylyn Simon tying the score at 15. Iona found itself tied at 20 following a kill from junior Kari Smith, but a late 5-1 run from the Highlanders closed the door on the Gaels' comeback hopes as Iona fell 25-21.

SET 2: After conceding the first two points of the set, a kill from junior Katherine Ferng sparked three unanswered points to give the Gaels an early one-point edge. After NJIT regained the lead, a 4-1 run capped by a kill from Tinaz gave Iona a two-point cushion at 7-5. The Highlanders responded with a 5-1 run to take the lead, but the Maroon & Gold answered with three unanswered points, highlighted by two kills from Smith, to take an 11-10 lead. NJIT used two Iona attack errors and added a kill to regain the lead and build a two-point cushion at 13-11. The Gaels responded with a 4-2 run, highlighted by kills from four different players, to knot the score at 15. NJIT then built a three-point lead following a 4-1 run, with the score sitting at 20-17. The Gaels used an NJIT attack error to spark a strong 8-2 run, capped by a kill from Leonardo, to give Iona a 25-22 set victory.

SET 3: Iona started the third set where it left off, with a kill from Ferng capping a 5-2 run to begin the frame. The Highlanders quietly clawed their way back to knot the score at nine. The tie would not last long, as a kill from Leonardo sparked a 9-2 run that saw Leonardo, Ferng and Smith each tally two kills to give the Gaels an 18-11 lead. Iona continued to hold its ground offensively and took the third set 25-19 to move one set closer to a match victory.

SET 4: After Iona received the first point of the set via an NJIT attack error, the Highlanders went on a 5-2 run to take a 5-3 lead. The Gaels responded with a run of their own, as three NJIT attack errors and a service ace from freshman Olivia Filipowski helped Iona put together a 6-1 run to take a 9-6 lead. The middle of the set remained close, with the Gaels' lead never exceeding three points as the match reached the media timeout with Iona leading 15-14. Out of the timeout, the Gaels came out strong with a 4-2 run to build a three-point lead at 19-16. Iona continued to hold steady throughout the remainder of the set, winning 25-21 to secure the match victory.

IONA Performers

• Leonardo led the attack with 20 kills. Ferng and Smith both added 15 kills. 
• Tinaz tallied five blocks.
• Simon recorded 31 assists, while freshman Grace Daneils recorded 29.
• Gaume anchored the defense with 20 digs. 

THE OPPONENT

• Torres led the attack with 16 kills. 
• Motalova was the leader in blocks with six.
• Marino was the leader in assists with 26. 
• Siefert was the defensive leader with 15 digs. 

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SOCIAL MEDIA