NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College volleyball team won their fourth straight match in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon, completing a come-from-behind win against Fairfield. The Gaels trailed two sets to one, but roared back and took the key conference matchup in five (25-22, 21-25, 26-28, 25-21, 15-11).
Freshman Claire Archibald led Iona with her fifth consecutive double –double effort, registering 20 kills on a .197 attack percentage to go along with her 16 digs. Fellow freshman Amanda Gannon was the only other Gael offensive presence to have more than ten kills; she finished with 12 in the match, hitting on .175 percent of her chances.
Freshmen Karly White, Mia Bonsignore, and senior Kiana McAuley-Pomeroy each chipped in five kills for the Gaels, who hit .159 as a team. Senior Natalie Ziskin had 14 assists and a couple timely kills, and freshman Emma Rose led the team with 26 assists.
Sophomore Skyler Day led Fairfield with her ninth double-double of the season, finishing with 20 kills and 12 digs. As a team, the Stags his .121 on the day, and freshman Kiley Lingenfelter and sophomore Sydney Buckley had 31 and 29 assists respectively.
Archibald and Rose each tied for the team-high with three aces apiece. White had a team high two solo blocks, and six assisted blocks.
The two sets that the Stags won were both the most competitive of the matchup. The second set had 12 ties and 10 lead changes, and the third had 11 ties and five lead changes. In the fourth and fifth set, Iona had their best sideout percentages, accomplishing so at a 66% clip.
Iona has two home matchups, and eight total matches remaining in conference play before the beginning of the MAAC Championship on Friday, Nov. 20.
The Maroon & Gold will look to continue their hot play when they travel out on the annual western New York trip to Canisius and Niagara this upcoming weekend. Both matches are set to serve off at 1 pm.