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Cameron Grange jumps for an attack attempt in a home match against Kent State on Sept. 8, 2023.
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3
Winner Iona Iona 7-8,3-1 MAAC
2
Canisius Canis 3-9,1-3 MAAC
Winner
Iona Iona
7-8,3-1 MAAC
3
Final
2
Canisius Canis
3-9,1-3 MAAC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Iona Iona 21 20 25 25 15 (3)
Canisius Canis 25 25 23 22 10 (2)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Drops Five-Set Match to Iona

GAME RECAP
Iona senior Jen Soto recorded a career-high 20 kills and fellow senior Hope Matschner was credited with a career-high 51 digs as the visiting Gaels fought back from a two-set deficit to score a 3-2 win over Canisius in MAAC volleyball action Sunday afternoon at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
Iona won the match by score of 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-10 to move its record to 7-8 overall and 3-1 in league play, while the Golden Griffins slipped to 3-9 overall and 1-3 in conference action with the loss.
 
For Canisius, freshman Lauren Hubert recorded a season-high 18 kills to go along with 23 digs and three block assists. Junior Kara Zaucha posted a double-double as well with 17 kills and a career-best 21 digs, while freshman Bella Mosquera added 14 kills and two service aces. Sophomore setter Ella Bourque matched a career-high with 55 assists in the losing cause, her fourth career match with 50-plus assists to her credit.
 
After sweeping Manhattan on Saturday, Canisius wasted little time grabbing a 2-0 lead in the match after taking the first two sets of the contest. In the opening set, which the Griffs won 25-21, Mosquera recorded six of Canisius' 14 kills and fellow freshman Cameron Grange added four service aces. In the second set, Zaucha and Hubert combined for eight of the Blue and Gold's 13 kills, while Bourque chipped in two service aces to go along with 12 assists, as Canisius won that frame by a score of 25-20.
 
Out of the intermission, Iona scored a 25-23 victory to stave off the sweep as Mackenzie Wiggins pounded down six kills for the Gaels. Iona hit just .130 as a team in the third set, but the Gaels took advantage of four Canisius service errors en route to the third-set victory. In the fourth set, a set that featured nine ties and six lead changes, Soto posted seven kills on 13 swings for Iona, which ended the session with five total blocks on the power of a solo block by Soto and eight block assists.
 
In the fifth set, Canisius trailed Iona 13-10 late, but the Gaels locked down the win by scoring the set's final two points. With Canisius serving, the score moved to 14-10 after Iona's Ava DeGuzman registered a solo block on a Canisius attack, and moments later, Iona closed out it comeback bid thanks to a final kill from Ezzie Thompson, who finished the day with five kills.
 
Seven different players in the match had 12-or more digs, led by Matschner's career-best 51 for Iona. Grange was one of four Griffs to record 20-plus digs in the match as she had 26, while junior libero Jillian Hanna recorded 23 digs for her third match this season with 20-or more digs.
 
GAME NOTES
• Sunday marked the 54th all-time meeting between these two programs. Iona leads the series 30-24.
• The Gaels have now defeated the Griffs in three-straight matches, dating back to last season.
• Sunday was Canisius' fifth five-set match of the 2023 campaign. The Griffs played in a total of five five-set match all of last season.
• Canisius had 12 service aces in Sunday's match, the fourth time this season where the team has recorded double-digit aces in a match.
• Bourque's 55 assists on Sunday match her previous career high, set Sept. 18, 2022 vs. Quinnipiac.
• Hubert's 18 kills are the most for a Canisius freshman in a match since former Griff Melina Woods had 16 kills in a match against Nevada during the 2019 campaign.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will close out its three-match homestand next Saturday, Sept. 30, when the Griffs play host to long-time rival Niagara at the Koessler Athletic Center. Game time is set for 12 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius volleyball, follow the Griffs @GriffVolleyball on both X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
 
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