Marist Women’s Volleyball Falls to Iona, 3-1

POUGHKEEPSIE – The Marist volleyball team lost to Iona, 3-1, on Oct. 1 in McCann Arena. Set scores were 25-20, 17-25, 25-20, 26-24.

The Gaels improved to 7-11 overall and 5-2 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play while Marist is now 6-10 and 3-2 in conference competition.

Turning Points:
Marist went on a 7-2 run to go ahead 12-7 in the early going. Nine of the next 11 points went to Iona however, and the Gaels got the 15-14 edge to force a Red Foxes timeout. Kills by a variety of hitters propelled Iona before Marist got three straight points with the help of a service ace from senior Sydney Rojek. That would be the penultimate scoring play for Marist in the period however.

The second stanza was tied eight times. With junior Katie Brierley serving Marist ripped off eight straight points during an outburst that included kills from three different hitters. The Red Foxes led 20-12 at that moment and Brierley ended the set with another ace.

Both sides traded runs in the third set, with the Gaels counteracting five straight Marist points with a 9-2 scoring spree. The Red Foxes got to within three, but couldn’t get the edge in the match.

The Marist lead grew to as much as nine in the final set when Iona junior Mia Bonsignore slammed three kills on a run to cut into the Gaels’ deficit. With Marist at set point, Iona strung together the four points it needed for the comeback win.

Inside the Numbers:
-Junior Taylor van der Biezen posted a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs.
-Senior Ashton Korona tied a match high with six total blocks alongside eight kills on the attack.
-Marist outblocked the Gaels 12-10.
-Iona owned an 8-5 advantage in service aces.
-The match featured 23 ties and 12 lead changes.

“We’re struggling with some inconsistency and some of that is in execution, which is part of the game,” Head Coach Lauren Amundson said. “Volleyball is error driven so we’re going to play up and down. Everyone isn’t going to have their best match every day. But I challenge the team and we’re looking to be more consistent in our effort level and the intention that we approach each match.”

Marist will go back on the road for the rest of the week beginning with a matchup at Quinnipiac. First serve is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 4. The contest will be a rematch of last year’s MAAC championship semifinal.