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Brenda Reynaga digs a ball for the Canisius defense in a five-set win over Iona at the Koessler Athletic Center on Sept. 26, 2025
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2
Iona Iona 5-10,0-1 MAAC
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Winner Canisius Canis 3-8,1-0 MAAC
Iona Iona
5-10,0-1 MAAC
2
Final
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Canisius Canis
3-8,1-0 MAAC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Iona Iona 25 25 23 17 17 (2)
Canisius Canis 21 18 25 25 19 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Volleyball Fights Back to Defeat Iona

Down 17-16 in the fifth set, Canisius junior Kalia Reisma put down back-to-back kills and then combined with teammate Emma Isroff for a block assist on match point to help lift the Golden Griffins to a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Iona in MAAC volleyball action Friday night at the Koessler Athletic Center.
 
The win, Canisius' second straight, improved the Blue and Gold to 3-8 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Iona slipped to 5-10 overall and 0-1 in league action.

HEAD COACH TOM HANNA POST-MATCH INTERVIEW


MATCH RECAP
Iona took a 2-0 lead in the match after taking set one by the score of 25-21, and then followed up with a 25-18 victory in set two. Out of the intermission, Canisius was able to extend the night by posting a 25-23 victory in the third set. In that frame, the Griffs trailed the Gaels 22-21, but two Iona attack errors and a kill by freshman Madi Cowan put the home team up 24-21. After a Canisius service error made the score 24-23 in favor of the Griffs, the Blue and Gold closed out the third set on another kill from Cowan, one of her seven kills on the evening.
 
Canisius scored 10 of the first 13 points in the fourth set en route to the 25-17 victory to even the match at 2-2. Iona rebounded and led 8-4 midway through the fifth set, but Canisius battled back and eventually took an 11-10 lead thanks to a 7-2 scoring run that featured a pair of kills by redshirt-sophomore Julia Lenik and a kill and a service ace by senior Bella Mosquera.
 
From there, neither team led by more than two points for the remainder of the contest. A Canisius service error put the Gaels in the lead at 17-16, but Reisma extended the night for the Blue and Gold with her back-to-back kills to give the Griffs an 18-17 advantage. On match point, Reisma and Isroff combined for the block assist on the attack attempt by Iona's Kari Smith, ending the contest.
 
Isroff matched a career-high with 14 kills in the win for the Griffs, and she also recorded 11 digs, three service aces and two block assists. Mosquera added 12 kills, three aces, six digs and four block assists, while Lenik chipped in nine kills and seven digs. As a team, Canisius hit .187 on the night, highlighted by a .241 attack percentage over the contest's final three sets.
 
Senior setter Ella Bourque was credited with a match-high 46 assists in the win for Canisius, and she also registered six kills and nine digs. Junior Brenda Reynaga posted a career-high 34 digs in the victory, as Canisius opened league play with a five-set victory for the second consecutive season.
 
GAME NOTES
• Friday's match marked the 59th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Iona leading the series 31-28. Canisius extended its win streak to four straight over Iona with the victory.
• The Griffs are 6-4 in their last 10 MAAC regular-season matches that have gone five sets, dating back to 2023.
• Friday marked the 16th time in Mosquera's career that she has recorded double-digit kills. Of those 16 occasions, nine have come against MAAC opponents.
• Bourque has now been credited with 45-or more assists three times this season and 16 times in her career.
• Reynaga's 34 digs in the win are the second-most for a player in the MAAC this season, and it serves most digs for a Canisius player in a match since Bree Long had 38 digs in a four-set win over Quinnipiac on April 1, 2021.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will continue its three-match homestand on Saturday with a contest against Manhattan. Start time at the Koessler Athletic Center is set for 2 p.m., and the contest will be streamed live on GoGriffs.com.

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