NEW ROCHELLE, NY –A balanced attack led the Iona College volleyball team to a four-set win over first place Siena in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at the Hynes Center this afternoon by the Hynes Center. Five Gaels registered 10 or more points in the win led by rookie RS Taylor Bannister.
Bannister posted 10 kills and five blocks while hitting .364 for the match to lead the Maroon & Gold. She also added four digs. Freshman OH Claire Archibald had 10 kills, three blocks and two digs for 11.5 points. Freshman OH Amanda Gannon and junior MH Karly White each had 10.5 points. Gannon posted eight kills, two aces and a block while recording 15 digs. White had five kills and a game-high nine blocks in the win. Freshman MH Mia Bonsignore recorded seven kills on 13 attempts with no errors (.538 hitting percentage) and had four blocks in the win.
Setters Emma Rose and Natalie Ziskin combined for 42 assists. Ziskin had 20 assists with four kills and eight digs and Rose posted 22 assists with eight digs and three aces. Senior Kiana McAuley-Pomeroy had six kills in the win. Freshman libero Jessica Paolucci recorded a match-high 20 digs and junior Kate Brodnax added 14 for the Maroon & Gold.
Siena – playing without their top outside hitter Brianna Flagg who was injured in yesterday’s match at Manhattan – was led by Sonja Vasovic’s 13 kills. Darby Taylor added 11 kills and 20 digs. Setter Haley Howell had 39 assists and 12 digs while libero Kalehua Katagiri had 14 digs in the loss.
The Gaels took the first two sets 25-15 and 25-23 before surrendering the third by the same score as the second. Iona closed out the match with a 25-15 set four win.
Before the game Iona honored Brodnax, McAuley-Pomeroy and Ziskin in their final home match of their careers.
The Gaels complete MAAC play with four matches on the road beginning with Manhattan next Saturday at 1:00 pm.