NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College volleyball used a .361 hitting percentage to upend Siena in four sets (25-22, 24-26, 25-14, 25-18) this afternoon to close out the regular season inside the Hynes Athletic Center. In the process, the Gaels (14-17, 11-7 MAAC) have earned the third seed in the upcoming MAAC Championship and will face sixth seeded Quinnipiac at 5:00 pm on Friday, November 17 at Fairfield University.
Emma Rose accumulated 50 assists in the four sets this afternoon for the Maroon & Gold to help push three teammates to double-figure kills. The junior also added six service aces and three digs. Jamie Smith led the attack with 16 kills to go along with nine digs while Tess Connolly and Claire Archibald matched the nine digs to pair with 13 and 12 kills respectively. Smith posted a .600 hitting percentage to lead the team with just one error on 25 attempts.
Dakota Jackson led the Saints (7-22, 7-11) in the season finale with a match-high 18 kills while adding six digs. Jess Eblin contributed 33 assists to the offense while Jojo Ishida picked up 16 digs on the defensive side.
The efficient attacking started in the opening set for the Gaels as the team connected on 14 kills with just three errors towards .344 hitting percentage. Archibald, Smith and Connolly all put forth four kills each with Rose notching 13 assists and two aces. Connolly connected on two of her kills for the final two points for Iona to earn a 25-22.
Connolly continued her attack into the second set with seven of the team’s 17 kills, however, Siena came up with 16 digs led by seven from Ishida to earn the 26-24 victory. The Saints benefited from four service aces, two each from Antonija Ivanovic and Ebliin compared to three service errors from Iona. Two Iona errors in the final two points allowed Siena to came away with the victory following a kill from Sam Pethokoukis.
Following the 10-minute break in between sets two and three, the Maroon & Gold scored six of the first nine points and later pushed the advantage to 19-11 that included a run of three straight aces from Rose. Leading 23-14, Smith connected on the team’s fifth ace of the frame followed by a kill from Kassandra Darnaby to push Iona ahead 2-1 in the match.
The momentum continued into the deciding fourth set for the Gaels as the team posted a .381 hitting percentage with six individuals notching a kill including Karla Johnson and Smith with three a piece. Similar to the end of the third set, Darnaby put the finishing touches on the game with a kill off a Smith pass. At the end of the match, Iona accumulated 12 service aces and 58 kills on 122 attempts.
The Gaels return to the MAAC Championship for the first time since 2014 with a trip to Fairfield to face the Bobcats of Quinnipiac on Friday in one of the quarterfinal matches. No. 4 Marist and No. 5 Rider will follow at 8:00 pm the second quarterfinal. For all information regarding the MAAC Championship, visiting maacsports.com.