For the Iona volleyball team, this season has been full of ups and downs.

After being picked seventh out of ten teams in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason coaches’ poll, the Gaels opened conference play 3-0. This hot start catapulted Iona to the top of the MAAC standings and included a three-game sweep of preseason favorite Fairfield.

After this point, however, the Gaels lost their next six conference matches. Four of these six losses were in five sets.

Iona (3-6 MAAC, 6-15 overall) is now in seventh place in the MAAC.

“We need to play with more consistency,” said sophomore setter Caris Myles. “We can’t let mistakes build up.”

The Maroon & Gold hosted Marist on Oct. 6. The Red Foxes won in five sets (25-19, 15-25, 27-25, 19-25, 15-13). The Gaels looked poised for the victory when they took a 12-9 lead in game five, but Marist won six of the last seven points to take the match.

The Gaels were led by sophomore middle blocker Catrina Warren, who had 19 kills and hit .341, and junior outside hitter Alicja Pawelec, who compiled 19 digs and 14 kills.

Iona hosted Siena the following day. The Saints won in five sets (27-25, 17-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-9). After Siena took two of the first three games, Iona was staring defeat in the face when Siena had a 23-19 lead in game four, but the Gaels reeled off six straight points to force game five. The Saints took the decisive game five. Junior outside hitter Madisyn Spence amassed 14 digs and 11 kills.

“We have to learn to be successful in five,” Head Coach Jon Killingbeck said. “They’re frustrating, tough, and winnable matches.”

After these hard-fought losses, the Gaels traveled to Buffalo on the weekend of Oct. 13 and 14.

The Gaels were bested by Niagara, the three-time defending MAAC champion, on Saturday. The Purple Eagles won in three sets (25-21, 25-23, 25-17). After two neck-and-neck games, Niagara took an early 10-2 lead in game three en route to closing out the sweep. Pawelec posted 16 kills, 12 digs, and hit .333.

On Sunday, Iona visited first-place Canisius. Canisius prevailed in four games (25-21, 19-25, 25-18, 25-10). Pawelec led the way for the Maroon & Gold with 16 kills, 9 digs, and a .208 hitting percentage.

“We need to push even harder,” senior defensive specialist Stephanie Roco said. “We need to be disciplined.”

Though the Gaels have recently struggled in MAAC play, they picked up an impressive non-conference win over Hofstra in three sets (25-14, 27-25, 25-18) on Oct. 3. The Maroon & Gold hit .619 in game one. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Cembalisty posted 10 kills and hit .588.

The Gaels will be back in action this weekend when they visit Manhattan and Saint Peter’s. Iona’s next home match is against Rider on Nov. 1 at the Hynes Athletics Center.