The Marist women’s volleyball team earned their second straight victory on Sunday afternoon against the Iona Gaels in four sets. Back to back home wins during this weekend has the Red Foxes tied for fourth in the MAAC after four conference games.
“It felt really great. It was the first weekend where we really worked well together and showed a lot of fight,” said Jordan Newblatt.
Marist and Iona got the match started with a tight first set. The biggest lead either team had through the first 28 points was only four, which came when Marist led 12-8. With the set tied at 14, the Red Foxes flexed their muscles. Marist went on to win 8 of the next ten points, helping them take the first set 25-19.
The Red Foxes continued to play on the front foot to begin the second, winning six of the first seven points to gain an early advantage. Iona cut the deficit to as low as one, but were never able to get even with the home team. Marist went on a 7-2 run to take the set 25-16.
Through the first 28 points of the third, the score was tied at 14. The Red Foxes had a few opportunities to pull away, but Iona continued to fight. The Gaels proceeded to go on a 11-6 run and win the third set by a score of 25-20, forcing a fourth set.
“In game three, we got real tentative at the end,” head coach Sean Bryon said.
Marist continued to play well at the beginning of fourth, jumping out to a quick 12-6 lead. The Gaels then proceeded to go on a 7-0 run to retake the lead, completely shifting the momentum of the set. Both teams traded punches and neither side showed the ability to really grab a hold of the set. With score standing at 25-24 in favor of Iona, the Gaels had a golden opportunity to force a fifth set. Marist continued to attack, creating two kills and forcing an error to take the fourth and final set 27-25.
Outside hitter Jordan Newblatt had an incredible performance at the net on Sunday. The sophomore from Clarkston, Michigan had a team-high 20 kills, her second highest tally of the season. Madelyn Waumans was excellent as well, contributing 14.5 points, 13 kills, and nine digs.
Marist returns to play on September 29th at 7 p.m., when they face the Quinnipiac Bobcats at the McCann Arena in Poughkeepsie, New York. The Red Foxes are 15-5 against Quinnipiac all-time, including an eight match winning streak that stretched from 2007-2015.