Iona University’s volleyball team has won four out of their last six games, bringing their record to 12-14 overall with three regular season games left on the schedule.
Exactly a week after their 3-1 set victory over Manhattan College on Oct. 14, Iona returned home to the Hynes Athletic Center for a Saturday afternoon matchup against Marist College.
The first set was close early on, with ties at 3-3 and 5-5, but a 6-1 run by Iona brought things out of reach. Seniors Jen Soto and Morgan Madasz totaled seven kills on 11 swings, helping the Gaels to a .435 hitting percentage.
Sophomore Mackenzie Wiggins was vital to Iona’s second, third and fourth sets, paving the way with 16 kills across those three outings.
Iona returned to the court a day later, this time hosting Siena College.
The Gaels were simply too dynamic for Siena to keep up with them, as evidenced by the 25-18, 25-16 and 25-13 series sweep.
Wiggins was a bright spot once again, hitting at a .407 clip with 12 kills and nine digs. Madasz, meanwhile, hit .615 and went 8-for-13 on kills in a crucial second set win.
Junior Tamara Pichardo averaged 11 assists per contest and achieved a match-high of 33 altogether.
Iona carried a three-game winning streak heading into a 7 p.m. affair at Quinnipiac University on Oct. 25.
The Gaels were outmatched by the Bobcats in the first set, falling by a score of 25-10. The two sets that followed were much closer, at 25-20 and 27-25, but key plays by the Quinnipiac setter Damla Gunes and Aryanah Diaz were too much to overcome.
Senior libero Hope Matschner did post 18 digs on the stat sheet, though, and rookie Ezzie Thompson hit .500 (7-for-14) with a blocked shot.
The Maroon and Gold found themselves back in the win column after cruising to a 3-0 set sweep over Saint Peter’s.
With the score tied at 4 points apiece in the first set, Iona quickly garnered an 8-1 run en route to a 25-16 win. Pichardo got on the board with 11 assists, while junior Nerin Valasakos recorded five digs.
The Gaels stayed consistent with yet another 25-16 victory in the second frame before putting the Peacocks away 25-12 in the third.
Matschner excelled with 19 digs and a flawless 10-for-10 on serve receptions. Madasz scored a team-high 13 points, most of which came through her nine kills, four blocks and ace.
Iona’s last game of the month came during a 3-0 loss to Rider University on Oct. 29. The Gaels fell narrowly in the first two sets (25-23 and 25-22), but a 25-15 defeat in the final put away any comeback hopes.
Three more regular season games remain on Iona’s schedule before the first round of the MAAC playoffs begins on Nov. 17.
