Box Score NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Powered by 21 kills and 24 digs from senior Lauren Behrens (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East), Saint Peter's won the final three sets to rally past Iona 3-2 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) women's volleyball action on Saturday. After falling in the first two sets 25-18 and 25-22, the Peacocks won 25-17, 25-20 and 15-6 to earn the thrilling five-set win for the squad's first league win of the year.
Behrens reached 20 kills for the first time this season and for the second time her career and first since she registered 25 kills against Delaware State on Sept. 12, 2014. The senior posted the second-most digs this season after she registered a career-high 27 digs against NJIT on Sept. 30. Behrens has registered eight double-doubles this season, but the performance against the Gaels marked her first 20-20 double-double of her career.
Amanda Colombo (Wallington, N.J./Wallington) added a double-double with 15 digs and 12 kills for the Peacocks (3-12, 1-5 MAAC) while Kaitlyn Sitton (Praire Bush, Wash./Praire) dished out 45 assists and had 15 digs and Marlena Budna (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fort Hamilton) tallied nine kills and 11 digs in the winning effort.
Claire Archibald paced the Gaels (3-15, 1-6 MAAC) with 20 kills and 16 digs. Natalie Ziskin posted 37 assists and 14 digs and Jessica Paolucci recorded 41 digs in the loss.
Last season, Saint Peter's won the final two sets to earn a thrilling five-set victory in the first meeting against Iona at the Yanitelli Center. The first meeting in 2015 saw similar results despite the new season and different location only this time the Peacocks dug themselves out of a two sets to love deficit to rally for the victory against Iona.
Despite being down two sets, Saint Peter's never faced a match point against the team. The Peacocks trailed in the third set by a score of 12-8, but then never trailed again with the exception of losing the first point of the fifth set.
The Gaels jumped out to an 12-8 margin in the third set before Saint Peter's closed the set on a 17-5 run to send the match to a fourth set with a 25-17 win. During the run Colombo paced the team with three kills while Budna and Kenyale McGinnis (Irving, Texas/Irving) each added two kills and Greta Varvell (San Jose, Calif./Branham) clinched the set with a kill for Saint Peter's 25th point of the set.
Powered by four kills and a block by Behrens, the Peacocks raced out to a 7-0 lead in the fourth set. Iona never got closer than six points in the set until the Gaels won four-straight points to trim the margin to 23-20 before Varvell and Sitton both recorded kills to secure the fourth set and even the match at two sets apiece to set a fifth and deciding set.
Iona won the first point of the fifth set, but Saint Peter's maintained its momentum from the third and fourth sets by rattling off the next 10 points to take a 10-1 advantage. Sitton posted two service aces and Budna had two kills during the 10-0 run. The Peacocks earned match point on an attack error to register its first league win against the Gaels for the second-straight year.
In the first set, Saint Peter's rallied from a four-point margin to tie the match at 12. Iona answered with four-straight points to take the lead it would not relinquish and then closed the set with eight of the last night points to earn a 25-18 first-set win.
The Peacocks grabbed a 2-1, 4-2 and and 5-4 margins before the Gaels went on a 10-3 run to take a 14-8 advantage in the second set. Iona then had a set point at 24-18 only to see Saint Peter's register the next four points to trim the deficit to 24-22, but Iona halted the run on the next point with a kill to secure the second set at 25-22. Saint Peter's then won the final three sets to win the match.
McGinnis added 24 digs and five kills and Varvell tallied 16 digs and six kills in the win.
Saint Peter's returns to action at Manhattan on Sunday. Match time is 1 p.m.
