The Iona volleyball team continued their conference play on Oct. 24 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to take on the Marist College Red Foxes.

  The Gaels improved to an overall record of 14-8, with a conference record of 8-4, by winning a tough 5-set game on the road.

  The Gaels started off strong by winning the first set 25-20, which set the tone early  in the game. The Red Foxes picked it up in the next two sets, however, winning the sets 25-14, 25-12.

  With their backs against the wall the Gaels had to come up big. They forced a fifth set by winning the fourth set 25-16. The decisive fifth set went back and forth, but Iona was able to pull out the win with the fifth set score 20-18.

  Senior Colleen Genett led the Gaels with a .542 hitting percentage, and also led the team with 14 kills. Senior Allison Nieters led the team with 21 digs.

  The Gaels’ huge win against Marist carried over to Oct. 30 when the Gaels took on the Canisius Golden Griffins at the Hynes Athletic Center. Iona blew out Canisius, winning in three straight sets, 25-17, 25-22, and 25-17.

  Freshman Alicja Pawelec led the team with a .474 hitting percentage, while also contributing 11 kills. Sophomore Theresa Harvey led the team with 14 kills. Nieters again led the team in digs, with 23.

  The Gaels’ two-game win streak unfortunately was snapped when they played the Niagara Purple Eagles at the Hynes Athletic Center on Oct. 31. It was a tough loss for Iona, losing in the fifth set, given that they started out strong winning the first set pretty handily 25-17.

  The Gaels lost their concentration in the next two sets and lost them both, 25-18, 25-19. Iona won a tough fourth set by winning 25-21, forcing the decisive fifth set.

  Unfortunately, the Gaels came up just short by losing the fifth set 16-14. This game makes their overall record 15-9, with a conference record of 9-5. They are now tied for third in the MAAC.

  After the tough loss to Niagara on Halloween, the Gaels really stepped up their game by sweeping Loyola on Nov. 5, and also sweeping St. Peter’s on Nov. 8.

  The final score against Loyola was 25-17, 25-9, 25-22. Genett lead the Gaels with a hitting percentage of .667 while having 15 kills. 

  Senior Laura Fojanesi and sophomore Theresa Harvey contributed 10 digs each, while Nieters led the team with 19 digs.

  Against the Peahens, the final score was 25-18, 31-29, 25-16. Harvey and Pawelec led the team with 11 kills, with Harvey also having 11 digs. Fojanesi had 11 digs, and Nieters had 27.

  The Gaels have two more regular season games left. Both games are on the road, one being against the Siena Saints, and the other against the Rider Broncs.

  The Gaels sit in second in the MAAC with an 11-5 record, with an overall record of 17-9. They will compete for the MAAC title on Nov. 18 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

    Harvey and Genett are going to be two key pieces to the Gaels’ success in the MAAC Finals. Harvey is Iona’s top scoring threat with her team lead 300 kills. Genett is currently second with 270 kills. Nieters is also important on defense with her notorious dig expertise.