Iona's Julia Leonardo put down three of her match-high 20 kills in the fifth set to help lead the host Gaels to a 3-2 victory over Canisius in Metro Conference volleyball action Friday evening at the Hynes Athletic Center in New Rochelle, N.Y.
Iona (9-9, 4-2 Metro) snapped its three match losing skid with the loss, taking the contest by set scores of 25-21, 25-27, 23-25, 25-14, 15-13. The Golden Griffins fell to 2-14 overall and 1-5 in league play with the loss.
Canisius senior Hannah Kos was credited with her first career double-double thanks to a career-best 17 kills to go with 12 digs. She also added three block assists and a pair of service aces. Senior Azoria Davis, redshirt-junior Julia Lenik and junior Emma Isroff were all credited with 11 kills in the losing cause for the Griffs, with Isroff posting a career-high eight service aces for the Blue and Gold. As a team, Canisius registered 11 service aces on the night, the third time this season the team has posted 10-or more aces in a match.
After dropping the first set, Canisius earned 27-25 victory in the second frame to even the match at 1-1. In that second set, Canisius hit .375 as a team, and Kos, Isroff and Lenik combined to record 15 of the team's 22 kills. Out of the match intermission, the Griffs took a 2-1 lead in the match thanks to a 25-23 set victory. With the third set tied at 23-23, Kos put the Griffs ahead for good with a kill, then followed with the final point of the frame on a service ace.
Iona evened the match at two sets apiece with the 25-14 win in set four. The host Gaels scored nine of the first 10 points in that set and never looked back. In the fifth set, back-to-back attack errors by Iona gave the Griffs a 10-7 lead, which forced a timeout from the Gaels. Later in the frame, Isroff pushed the Blue and Gold's cushion back to three points at 12-9, but the Gaels answered by scoring four of the contest's next five points to knot the set at 13-13. After Iona took a 14-13 lead, Leonardo ended the night with her 20th kill of the contest off an assist from teammate Grace Daniels, who had a match-high 27 assists in the victory.
Canisius freshman Kenslie Warmbrodt had a team-high 23 assists on the night for the Griffs, while sophomore setter Anna Rich added 21 assists. Senior libero Brenda Reynaga was credited with a season-high 31 digs and freshman Hayden Siebenaler posted a season-best six block assists.
GAME NOTES
• Friday's meeting was the 61st between Canisius and Iona in a series that dates back to 1991. The Gaels lead the series, 32-29.
• Kos has recorded 10-or more kills in two of the team's last three outings.
• Isroff's eight service aces are the second-most for a player in the Metro Conference this season. Saint Peter's Meleksu Ozmen had nine aces in a win over Siena on Sept. 25.
• Friday's 31-dig effort by Reynaga serves as a season-high. It also marks her third career match with 30-or more digs.
• As a team, Canisius had a season-high 95 digs, with five players recording 10-or more digs in the contest.
• Davis is averaging 2.3 kills per set against Metro opponents this season.
• Siebenaler also recorded her first career kill to go along with her six block assists.
UP NEXT
Canisius will close out its five-match road swing on Saturday with a conference contest at Manhattan in Riverdale, N.Y. Game time is set for 2 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast through the Jasper Sports Network.
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