Ending last season on a three-game winning streak, the Iona College volleyball team looks to take that momentum into this year.

The Gaels are slated fifth out of ten teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Last year they tallied a record of 10-19 overall and 7-10 in the MAAC, finishing seventh in the conference.

Iona enters the upcoming season with high expectations. The team graduated only one starter from last year’s team (libero Theresa Harvey). The Gaels dropped seven five-set matches last season. They hope their veteran leadership and experience will propel the team to victory in close matches this year.

“We’re putting them out of our minds, going after it and not letting those happen to us anymore,” junior middle blocker Catrina Warren said. “If we do end up going to five sets, we’re going to end it.”

Iona (1-2) features two players who were named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team: Warren and senior outside hitter Alicja Pawelec. Last season, Pawelec led the Gaels with 342 kills. Warren ranked fourth in the MAAC in hitting percentage (.316) and points per set (3.85).

“It’s great that both of us got picked because it shows the strength of the whole team,” Pawelec said.

The team was recognized for its academic excellence by the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association (AVCA). Iona was one of 622 schools nationwide to meet the criterion of posting at least a cumulative team grade point average (GPA) of 3.30 on a scale of four.

The Maroon & Gold have a tough schedule this season. The toughest opponent they will face is Florida, who is currently ranked ninth in the country by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Iona began the season by competing in the Pepperdine Asics Classic in Malibu, Calif. on Aug. 30 and 31. In their first match, the Gaels fell to Wisconsin in three sets (25-22, 25-22, 25-18). The Badgers have received votes in the NCAA Top-25 rankings. In each of the first two sets, the Gaels and the Badgers were tied at 21. Sophomore setter Natalie Ziskin recorded 26 assists.

The following day, the Gaels were defeated by host Pepperdine (25-14, 25-13, 25-16), another team that received votes in the Top-25 rankings. Warren amassed 10 kills.

“We purposely schedule teams that are going to jump higher, go faster and hit harder than what we are going to see in conference,” head coach Jon Killingbeck said. “We felt that we could schedule easy and go 8-2 but that is not going to help us with the MAAC; this will.”

In the final game of this tournament, Iona topped Delaware (25-16, 25-21, 25-19). The Maroon & Gold held the Blue Hens to a .026 hitting percentage in the first game. Iona hit .441 in game three.

Junior outside hitter Taylor Cembalisty and Warren each recorded 12 kills. Cembalisty posted a .462 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Shannon Ward added 10 kills and hit .412.

Iona welcomes four freshmen to the roster: middle blocker Karly White, setter Kate Brodnax, libero Danielle Olcese, and outside hitter Meghan Nelson.

“We’ve added pieces and have depth throughout every position,” Killingbeck said. “We have everything we need. We have to take care of our job on the court on game day and finish games.”

Iona takes the court in the Cornell Invitational on Sept. 6 and 7. The Gaels have their home-opener on Sept. 25, when they take on St. Francis (N.Y.) at 7 p.m. at the Hynes Athletics Center.