NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona University Volleyball team faced the Merrimack Warriors in its second Metro Conference match of the season, sweeping Merrimack to improve to 2-0 in Metro Conference play.
the rundown: iona: 3, merrimack: 0
SET 1: The first point of the match for the Maroon & Gold came off a kill from sophomore Julia Leonardo, followed by a kill from senior Buse Tinaz to tie the match at two. With the score knotted at two, the Warriors used a pair of errors and a kill to score three straight points and take a three-point lead. The short run for the Warriors ended following a kill from junior Kari Smith and a joint block from junior Katherine Ferng and Tinaz to bring the Gaels back within one. Merrimack's lead would grow to five following four straight points, making the score 9-4. The Warriors would extend their lead to as many as seven, but the Gaels continued to fight. Three unanswered points, including two kills and an ace from Smith, brought Iona within three at 19-16. With Merrimack leading 22-17 and nearing set point, the Gaels responded with four straight points, capped by an ace from Grace Daniels, to pull within one. Leonardo then delivered a kill to tie the set at 22. She followed with another strong kill to give the Gaels their first lead since early in the set. Emma Koceja added a kill of her own, and a service error from the Warriors gave the Maroon & Gold a 25-23 set-one victory.
SET 2: Koceja opened the scoring in the second set with a kill. Iona found itself down 4-2 before Tinaz tied the set with a kill and followed it with a service ace to knot the score at four. Shortly after, a Merrimack attack error gave the Gaels the lead, but the Warriors responded with two straight points to regain the advantage. With the score at 7-5, a Merrimack error and a kill from Koceja tied the set at seven. The set remained close as both teams traded rallies and points, with the score tied at 10 approaching the media timeout. The Warriors then scored three straight points to take a three-point lead, but a kill and an ace from Smith brought the Gaels back within one. Following Smith's ace, Iona went on a 3-1 run to take a 15-14 lead heading into the media timeout. With Merrimack leading 17-16, Ferng and senior Ezzie Thompson each recorded a kill, while an attack error from the Warriors helped the Gaels take a 19-17 advantage. Iona closed the set on a strong 6-2 run, capped by a kill from Ferng, to take the second set 25-20 and move within one set of the sweep.
SET 3: A kill from Smith sparked a 5-1 run to open the third set for the Gaels, but the Warriors responded with three straight points to cut Iona's lead to two. After several back-and-forth rallies, a kill from Leonardo sparked six straight points for the Maroon & Gold, including three aces from Tinaz, to give Iona a 13-6 lead. Merrimack ended the run with a service error, but the Gaels quickly responded. Another kill from Leonardo sparked a second six-point run, with a block from Leonardo and Thompson capping the run and giving Iona a 19-7 advantage. The Warriors mounted a late push with eight unanswered points as they looked to force a fourth set, but the comeback fell short. Leonardo sealed the set with a kill, giving the Gaels a 25-19 victory and completing the three-set sweep.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Leonardo and Smith both finished with double-digit kills.
- Tinaz tallied four service aces.
- Simon and Daniels each recorded double-digit assists.
- Daniels led the Gaels in digs with ten.
THE OPPONENT
- Betancourt led the Warriors in kills with 12. Afolalu had 11 kills.
- DeBonis led the team in assists with 20.
- Maldonado had three aces and 13 digs to lead the Warriors.
NEXT MATCH
The Maroon and Gold return to action on Wednesday as they face off against rival Manhattan on the road. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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