NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College volleyball team earned its 10th win of the season in a four-set victory at Quinnipiac. Freshman OH Claire Archibald exploded for a 20-20 output, posting 25 kills and 22 digs in the win.
Archibald recorded a .435 hitting percentage. Her 27 points was a career-high and a season-high effort for the Gaels and the second-highest in a single-match by a MAAC performer and the highest in a four-set contest. It was Iona’s first 20-20 output since Catrina Warren’s 20-kill, 27-dig effort at Rider last year during her senior campaign. Warren also accomplished the feat in Iona’s 2013 regular season finale vs. Manhattan at the Hynes Center as a junior.
With her ninth kill of the match, Archibald set a new Iona rookie record for kills, eclipsing the program’s all-time career kill leader Miki Hogg and her 349 set during the 2002 campaign. Archibald has 366 total kills and 315 digs. The dig total is the third highest for a freshman in program history behind former libero Allison Nieters’ 849 in 2007 and current libero and classmate Jessica Paolucci’s 524 this season.
Freshman OH Amanda Gannon chipped in 13 kills, five digs and three blocks. Junior MB Karly White and freshman MB Mia Bonsignore combined for 12 kills and eight blocks. Junior RS Kiana McAuley-Pomeroy added eight kills in the win. Senior Natalie Ziskin and freshman Emma Rose split time at setter and combined for 46 assists. Rose posted 25 helpers and six digs while Ziskin had 21 assists and three digs. Paolucci matched Archibald’s 22 digs while junior DS Kate Broadnax added 11 digs in a back row effort.
Quinnipiac was led by Katie Urycki’s 13 kills. Libero Chandler Thornton had 12 digs while setter Emma Ogden posted 35 assists and 15 digs.
Following Niagara and Canisius’ home victories over Saint Peter’s and Rider this afternoon, the Gaels were eliminated from contention for the MAAC Championship. With a win tomorrow at top seed Fairfield and a Purple Eagle and Golden Griffin loss, Iona can match the two squads for sixth place in the league standings.