Coming off a disappointing showing at the San Diego Invitational, Boston College volleyball traveled to New Rochelle, N.Y., this weekend looking to regain its form against some lesser opponents.
The Eagles (6–3) perfectly capitalized on this opportunity and left the Iona Classic with three convincing victories. BC didn’t drop a set over the course of the entire tournament, collecting wins over Long Island (1–9) on Thursday, Iona (3–7) on Friday, and Fordham (7–1) on Saturday to sweep its way to an undefeated weekend. Katrina Jensen earned tournament MVP honors, and two other Eagles, Julia Haggerty and Anna Murphy, were named to the All-Tournament Team.
The toughest task of the weekend for BC was Saturday’s tilt against previously unbeaten Fordham. The Eagles fought back from a few deficits to upend the Rams by scores of 25–19, 25–19, and 25–22.
With the score tied 11–11, the Eagles went on a 7–2 run to pull away in the first set. The second set was more comfortable for BC. The Eagles raced out to a 9–2 advantage and never relinquished the lead.
Fordham led the third set 17–12, but BC stormed back to win the final set of the match by a three-point margin. Jensen and Jenna Pollock each tallied three kills during the late surge.
Haggerty recorded six kills, three blocks, and two digs against the Rams, but Jensen was the Eagles’ best player once again, finishing the match with 14 kills in total.
The Eagles faced off just 16 hours prior with Iona. BC commanded each of the first two sets, 25–20 and 25–21, respectively, before exploding in the third set, 25–9.
The Gaels held 15–14 and 19–18 leads in the first and second sets, respectively, before BC took control. The third set was lopsided from the start, with the Eagles jumping out to a 10–1 lead.
Jensen posted 12 kills and Murphy registered 23 digs against Iona. Schroder had another impressive performance with nine kills and six digs, while Jen Soto led the Gaels with six kills.
Jensen was a dominant force for BC against the Sharks on Thursday in BC’s first match of the tournament. The senior totaled 14 kills and three blocks. Freshman Halle Schroder was also a standout performer, finishing with eight kills, 13 digs, and two blocks.
BC used a key 7–0 run to take the first set, 25–12, and get the early advantage over LIU. The Eagles coasted in the second set, 25–13, thanks to a 6–1 start, and they fended off a late push in the third set to seal the victory. The Sharks then cut BC’s lead to six before the Eagles rattled off three consecutive points to win the final set, 25–16.
