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Canisius University Athletics

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Cassidy Ceriani sets against Iona on Oct. 27, 2019
Dean Bogart
0
Iona ION 3-19, 3-9 MAAC
3
Winner Canisius CAN 11-12, 8-3 MAAC
Iona ION
3-19, 3-9 MAAC
0
Final
3
Canisius CAN
11-12, 8-3 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Iona ION 18 24 19 (0)
Canisius CAN 25 26 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Sweeps Iona for Second-Straight Win

Five players from the Canisius volleyball team recorded five-or-more kills, led by sophomore Hannah Nelson and her match-high 10, and the Golden Griffins held Iona to an .078 attack percentage on the day as the Blue and Gold scored a 3-0 sweep of the Gaels Sunday afternoon in the Koessler Athletic Center. Canisius won the match by scores of 25-18, 26-24, 25-19 to improve to 11-12 overall and 8-3 in MAAC action, while Iona fell to 3-19 overall and 3-9 in conference play with the loss.
 
Nelson's 10 kills came on 32 swings, and she ended the day with her eighth double-double of the season after she also posted 15 digs to go with two service aces and three block assists. Freshman Ella Loussia added nine kills, five digs and an ace to the winning cause, while sophomore Camila Vazquez and senior Gabrielle Darnaby posted eight and seven kills, respectively. Senior setter Cassidy Ceriani was credited with 35 assists and 10 digs for the Blue and Gold, while freshman libero Bree Long registered 16 digs, her 14th match this season with 15-plus digs for the Griffs.
 
In the opening set, Canisius wasted little time taking control, leading by as much as nine points at 13-4. The Gaels battled back and cut the Griffs' lead to 20-17, but the Blue and Gold closed out the opening stanza on a 5-1 run, capped by a service ace by Nelson. In the second set, Iona held an early 7-4 lead before Canisius rattled off six-straight points. In that scoring spurt, Canisius got multiple kills from Vazquez to go along with a kill and a serve ace by Loussia. Again, Iona battled back and tied the set at 24-24 after a Canisius attack error, but back-to-back kills by senior Leah Simmons and Vazquez sealed the victory for the home team.
 
The third and final set was a back-and-forth effort before five-straight points by Canisius took the score from 15-15 to 20-15 in favor of the Blue and Gold. The Griffs secured the sweep with five of the contest's final six points, highlighted by a block assist from Simmons and Nelson before Nelson put down the final kill of the match to give Canisius the 25-19 set victory.
 
Simmons ended the day with five kills, two block assists and four digs, as seven Griffs were credited with five-or-more digs in the contest.

Iona was led by Jamie Smith's eight kills in addition to 11 digs, while Jessica Paolucci tallied a match-high 20 digs from the libero spot.
 
Game Notes
• Sunday was the 47th all-time meeting between Canisius and Iona, with the Gaels leading the series 27-20.
• After beating Iona 3-1 on the road Sept. 28, Canisius swept Iona in the regular season for the second time in the last three seasons.
• Nine of Canisius' last 10 home victories have come by the score of 3-0.
• Sunday's win stands as the 45th career victory at Canisius for head coach Lenika Vazquez, which ranks fifth in program history.
• The Ceriani double-double was the 51st of her career, while Nelson's was the ninth in her time at Canisius.
• Nelson has at least two aces in eight of her last nine contests.
 
Up Next
Canisius will travel to the Garden State for the final two road matches of the 2019 regular-season when the team plays at Rider (Nov. 2) and Saint Peter's (Nov. 3).
 
Follow the Griffs
For complete coverage of Canisius volleyball, please follow the Griffs on social media at @GriffVolleyball (Twitter and Instagram).
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