LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Iona defeated Saint Peter's in the opening round of the 2014 MAAC Volleyball Championship on Thursday.
Lauren Behrens (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) paced the Peacocks (6-22, 3-16 MAAC) with 10 kills, while Kayla Howell (Monrovia, Calif./Monrovia) recorded a team-high 13 digs in the loss.
Catrina Warren paced the Gaels (9-22, 6-13 MAAC) with 11 kills while Caris Myles tallied a game-high 33 assists in the victory.
Iona defeated the Peacocks in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinal round for a matchup against top-seeded Marist.
The Gaels opened up the first set with a 10-7 lead before ripping off nine unanswered points en route to a 25-15 set victory.
In the second game, Iona used another long scoring run to win the second set. Already ahead 15-11, the Gaels finish the set with a 10-2 spurt to win 25-13 and take a 2-0 set lead.
Trailing 17-9 in the third set, Saint Peter's used a 9-3 run to trim the margin. Iona countered with a run of its own, ending the set with five consecutive scores to win 25-18 and complete the sweep.
With the loss, Saint Peter's moves into the consolation bracket, where they are set to take on Canisius. Opening serve is slated for Friday at 11 a.m.
