NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College volleyball three-match win streak was snapped this afternoon as NJIT protected home court with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-19) non-conference victory this afternoon in Newark.
Jamie Smith led the attack for Iona (5-10) with 11 kills on a .500 hitting percentage to go along with six digs and six assists. Emma Rose added 18 assists while Claire Archibald posted eight kills, six digs and three blocks.
Madi Busler (7-8) matched Smith with 11 kills in addition to her .400 hitting percentage, four aces, three digs and three blocks. Tess Albyn and Adrianne Bynoe each recorded seven kills as Liz Benson set the offense for 30 assists.
Despite four kills from Smith and Archibald in the opening set, NJIT took the lead at 7-6 and never trailed after on the way to a 25-17 that included the final four points. Busler netted two of the final point with a pair of kills to post a set-high five kills. The Highlanders accumulated a .545 percentage as Benson notched 11 assists.
A 6-0 run in the second frame helped NJIT create a 16-12 advantage before the lead grew to 21-14 following a block from Bynoe. The Maroon & Gold staged a late rally with four straight points to cut the deficit to 22-19 after a Archibald kill. However, an ace and a pair of kills pushed NJIT to a 25-19 second set win.
Smith recorded five of the eight kills for Iona in the third set, however, a -.034 hitting percentage was outdone by 12 kills from the Highlanders with Busler leading the attack once again with four. Trailing 17-15, NJIT used a 10-2 run to complete the sweep.
The Maroon & Gold play the second of four straight road matches this Wednesday, returning to conference play with a trip to Rider on Wednesday. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 pm.