NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College volleyball team fell short of a comeback Friday evening, coming up short against the Quinnipiac Bobcats in four sets (19-25, 25-20, 15-25, 21-25). Sophomore Mia Bonsignore and senior Karly White had double-digit kills in the loss.
Iona had a side out percentage of just 56% in the first set compared to 73% for Quinnipiac. Sophomores Claire Archibald and Jessica Paolucci each had five digs and freshman Tess Connolly had a set-high four kills.
The Gaels used a five point run midway through the second set to open up a 15-10 lead. The Bobcats attempted to hault the momentum by calling two timeouts. A service ace from Paolucci and kill from White pushed the advantage to 19-12. Quinnipiac attempted a pushback going on a 6-2 run, but the Gaels closed it out for a 25-20 win.
The Bobcats used a 7-2 run in the third set to open up a 11-4 lead. The Gaels attempted to storm back, but the Bobcats successfully stalled all momentum, taking the set 25-15.
The fourth set began with Iona and Quinnipiac trading points, but an 8-1 run by the Bobcats led to a 17-11 deficit for the Maroon & Gold. In an attempt to climb back in it and stay alive, Iona managed a 5-1 run late in the set to get within two points, 23-21. The comeback attempt fell short there with sophomore Jen Coffey and freshman Maria Pansari putting the Gaels away with a kill apiece to end the match.
White finished the game with a .385 attack percentage on her 12 kills, the fifth-highest for a Gael this season. Bonsignore’s 14 kills ranks tied for third most in a match this season by an Iona player, and second most in a four-set match.
Sophomore Emma Rose had 36 assists, her highest since Aug. 27 against Lehigh University. Connolly had eight kills and eight digs. Paolucci finished with a team-high 19 digs.
Iona returns to the court tomorrow afternoon at 1 PM against the MAAC’s top team, the Fairfield Stags.