Wednesday, October 25
Hamden, Conn.
7:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
vs
Iona
Photo by: Ephemia Nicolakis
Bobcats Set to Host Iona in Wednesday Night MAAC Match
10/24/2023 1:07:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Game #21: Quinnipiac Bobcats (14-7, 10-2 MAAC) vs. Iona Gaels (11-12, 7-5 MAAC)
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023 | 7:00 PM
Hamden, Conn. | Burt Kahn Court
Watch: GoBobcats.com | Live Stats: Click Here
HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac women's volleyball returns to Hamden for a midweek MAAC match, as the Bobcats play host to Iona on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. inside of Burt Kahn Court.
LAST TIME OUT
THE STREAK
OH CAPTAINS MY CAPTAINS
LEADING THE PACK
WEEKLY AWARD RECAP
SWEEP STREAK
BIG APPLE BOBCATS
UPSTATE SWEEP
HENSON HAWK INVITATIONAL RECAP
COLUMBIA INVITATIONAL RECAP
HOKIE INVITATIONAL RECAP
DEFENDING MAAC CHAMPS
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023 | 7:00 PM
Hamden, Conn. | Burt Kahn Court
Watch: GoBobcats.com | Live Stats: Click Here
HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac women's volleyball returns to Hamden for a midweek MAAC match, as the Bobcats play host to Iona on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. inside of Burt Kahn Court.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Bobcats got back in the win column on Sunday afternoon, downing Canisius in straight sets on the road
- With the win, head coach Kyle Robinson earned his 200th career victory
- Yagmur Gunes led QU with 18 kills and added 11 digs for the double-double
- Ginevra Giovagnoni contributed 13 kills and 11 digs for a double-double
- Damla Gunes added 35 assists and six digs
- Aryanah Diaz totaled seven kills and 11 digs
- Fa'avae Kimsel Moe notched 20 digs in the victory
- The Bobcats who are 10-2 in the MAAC will take on 7-5 Iona on Wednesday evening
- QU has won each of its last three matches against Iona
- The last time they faced off, QU downed Iona in four sets on the road in New Rochelle earlier this season
- Damla Gunes notched 49 assists and nine digs
- Ginevra Giovagnoni led the Bobcats with 24 kills and added 13 digs for a double-double
- Alexandra Tennon compiled 14 kills, 16 digs and two service aces
- Aryanah Diaz added 20 digs and six assists in the win
THE STREAK
- Quinnipiac held a six-game winning streak spanning from Sept. 16 - Oct. 1
- During the Bobcats' six-game win streak, QU has totaled 299 kills with a .203 attack percentage compared to its opponents' 263 kills and a .161 attack percentage
- In total, QU has outscored its opponents 559-464 during the win streak
- In the two MAAC matches that have reached five sets, Quinnipiac has outscored its opponents 30-15
- During the six-game win streak, Damla Gunes has 241 assists and is averaging 10.04 assists per set
- Ginevra Giovagnoni led QU with 72 kills and has totaled 43 digs during the span
OH CAPTAINS MY CAPTAINS
- Quinnipiac women's volleyball Head Coach Kyle Robinson has announced the team's captains for the 2023 campaign
- Graduate student Aryanah Diaz, seniors Lexi Morse and Chloe Ka'ahanui, and sophomore Damla Gunes have been selected as captains for the program
LEADING THE PACK
- The Bobcats are leading the conference in numerous categories this season
- QU leads the MAAC in points per set (16.20)
- Quinnipiac's opponents are averaging just 10.21 assists per set, which is the least amount of sets averaged against another opponent in the conference
- The Bobcats lead the MAAC in assists per set at 11.80
- Opponents are averaging 10.81 kills per set against QU, which is the best mark in the MAAC
- The Bobcats' 12.71 kills per set is tops in the conference
- The Bobcats' 1.87 service aces per set are tops in the MAAC and ranks 28th in the nation
- QU's 140 services aces leads the conference
- Ginevra Giovagnoni is tops in the MAAC in kills per set (3.76) and points per set (4.28)
- Damla Gunes leads the conference with 758 assists and 10.11 assists per set
WEEKLY AWARD RECAP
- Sophomore outside hitter Yagmur Gunes was named the MAAC Player of the Week as announced by the conference on Tuesday, Sept. 19
- This is the second time this season that Gunes has been named the MAAC Player of the Week and the fifth overall weekly award honor for the Bobcats this season, as Leilani-kai Giusta garnered the award once and was named the Rookie of the Week twice
- In a 2-0 weekend for the Bobcats, Yagmur Gunes totaled 29.5 points, 24 kills, 20 digs, five service aces, and a block
- In back-to-back sweeps, she averaged 4.92 points, 4.00 kills, 3.33 digs, and 0.83 service aces per set
- She opened the weekend with 15 kills and 12 digs in a victory over Niagara. She followed that performance with nine kills, eight digs, and five service aces in the sweep over Canisius
- On the season, Gunes is third in the MAAC with 27 service aces, ranks fourth in points (237), and sixth in kills (201)
SWEEP STREAK
- The Bobcats got back in the win column on Wednesday, as the Bobcats downed Manhattan in straight sets at home inside Burt Kahn Gym
- Damla Gunes led the match with 30 assists
- Aryanah Diaz led the Bobcats with 14 kills, eight digs, and two service aces
- Ginevra Giovagnoni added 12 kills, six digs, three service aces and two blocks
- Alexandra Tennon and Bailey Brashear contributed seven kills apiece
- QU followed the match with back-to-back wins over the weekend against Saint Peter's and Rider
- The Bobcats swept both opponents over the weekend
- Yagmur Gunes led the Bobcats with 17 kills and 10 digs for a double-double in the win over Saint Peter's
- Damla Gunes led the match with 33 assists and added 10 digs of her own for a double-double
- Aryanah Diaz led Quinnipiac with 12 kills and added six digs, two assists, and two service aces in the win over Rider
- Alexandra Tennon totaled 10 kills and eight digs
- Leilani-kai Giusta recorded nine kills and four digs
- Damla Gunes notched 31 assists, six digs and four service aces
BIG APPLE BOBCATS
- The Bobcats remained unbeaten in the MAAC portion of its schedule with road victories over Iona in four sets and Manhattan in five sets on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1
- With the wins, the Bobcats open its MAAC schedule at 6-0 for the first time since 2016
- Damla Gunes notched 49 assists and nine digs in the victory over Iona
- Ginevra Giovagnoni led the Bobcats with 24 kills and added 13 digs for a double-double in the victory over the Gaels
- Alexandra Tennon compiled 14 kills, 16 digs and two service aces for her first double-double of the season
- Damla Gunes notched 47 assists and seven digs in the win over Manhattan
- Ginevra Giovagnoni totaled 17 kills and 11 digs for a double-double in the victory over the Jaspers
- Yagmur Gunes compiled 14 kills and six digs of her own
UPSTATE SWEEP
- The Bobcats remained unbeaten in the MAAC portion of its schedule with road victories over Marist in five sets and Siena in four sets on Sept. 23 and 24
- With the wins, the Bobcats open its MAAC schedule at 4-0 for the first time since 2016
- Ginevra Giovagnoni made her return to the lineup and tallied 17 kills and 12 digs her second double-double of the season in the win over Marist
- Yagmur Gunes added 13 kills and six digs, to go along with three service aces in the victory over Marist, while Alexandra Tennon totaled nine kills, 12 digs and three service aces
- Damla Gunes notched 42 assists and six digs in the victory over Marist
- The following day, Damla Gunes recorded 41 assists and nine digs in the win over Siena
- Alexandra Tennon led the match with 16 kills and added nine digs, while Ginevra Giovagnoni contributed 14 kills and seven digs
- The Bobcats opened the MAAC portion of its schedule with back-to-back sweeping victories over Niagara and Canisius in the 2023 home-opening weekend on Sept. 16-17, playing in front of its fans for the first time since being crowned the 2022 MAAC Tournament Champions
- With the wins, the Bobcats open its MAAC schedule at 2-0 for the first time since 2016
- Yagmur Gunes led the Bobcats with 15 kills and 12 digs for a double-double in the 3-0 win over Niagara
- Damla added 34 assists and 11 digs of her own in the match vs. Niagara, while Leilani-kai Giusta contributed 12 kills and eight digs in the victory
- In the sweep over Canisius, Giusta led the Bobcats with 10 kills and added four digs and two blocks, while Yagmur Gunes contributed nine kills, seven digs and five service aces
- Damla Gunes led the match with 28 assists and tallied seven digs.
HENSON HAWK INVITATIONAL RECAP
- QU went 2-1 over the weekend at the Henson Hawk Invitational, dropping Gardner-Webb in four sets in the opener
- The Bobcats followed with a sweeping victory over Hampton, before falling in three sets against hosts UMES
- Leilani-kai Giusta QU in the match against Gardner-Webb with a career-high 21 kills, while Damla Gunes added 41 assists and 14 digs for the double-double
- Over the weekend, Giusta led Quinnipiac with 39 kills and added 19 digs, five blocks and four service aces
COLUMBIA INVITATIONAL RECAP
- QU went 1-2 over the weekend at the Columbia Invitational, falling in four sets against Virginia and Fordham before taking down Columbia in straight sets
- Yagmur Gunes tallied 12 kills, 12 digs and five service aces in the win over Columbia
- Leilani-kai Giusta led the match with 16 kills and added five digs and three assists
- Gunes and Giusta were the top performers Bobcats over the weekend
- Gunes tallied three consecutive double-doubles over the weekend at the Columbia Invitational and totaled 52.0 points, 43 kills, 41 digs, and nine service aces
- In a three-game weekend for Giusta at the Columbia Invitational, Giusta totaled 49.0 points, 46 kills, and 22 digs
HOKIE INVITATIONAL RECAP
- The Bobcats opened their season at the Hokie Invitational, going 1-2 over the weekend, dropping a thrilling five-set contest against Furman in the opener
- Aryanah Diaz opened the 2023 season with 21 kills and 11 digs against Furman for her first double-double of the season
- The Bobcats picked up their first win of the season in a 3-0 sweep over Morgan State in the weekend finale
- Ginevera Giovagnoni led Quinnipiac with 11 kills and 12 digs for her second double-double of the early campaign
- Graduate student Aryanah Diaz was named to the Hokie Invitational All-Tournament Team for her play over the weekend
- Diaz totaled 41.5 points, 35 kills, 27 digs, eight assists and six service aces
- For the three games, Diaz averaged 3.77 points, 3.18 kills and 2.45 digs per set
DEFENDING MAAC CHAMPS
- The Bobcats finished the season with 14 wins, including a seven-game win streak through the end of the regular season and concluding with its first-ever MAAC title
- QU defeated No. 3 Iona, 3-1, in the MAAC Quarterfinals, followed by a sweep over No. 7 Rider in the semifinals, then bested No. 1 Fairfield, 3-1, in the championship round to complete the historic run
- Quinnipiac women's volleyball has been selected as the preseason MAAC favorite, as announced on Friday, Aug. 18 by the league office.
- The Bobcats earned the No. 1 spot in the 2023 Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll alongside Marist, with both programs receiving three of 11 first-place votes and 85 total points each.
- Quinnipiac saw two student-athletes named to the preseason All-MAAC team, as graduate student Aryanah Diaz and sophomore Ginevra Giovagnoni garnered the honor.
- Head Coach Kyle Robinson is in his fifth season with the Bobcats in 2023
- Robinson is 200-144 over his career as a collegiate head coach (7 seasons at LIU prior to QU)
- Robinson has firmly cemented himself as one of the premier college coaches in the NCAA's highest division
- He effectively etched his signature on Quinnipiac volleyball by becoming the first head coach in program history to lead the program to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2022
- The Bobcats earned their first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier after winning the 2022 MAAC Championship as a sixth seed last November, going 7-0 during the month beginning with a four-game win streak prior to the MAAC Tournament
- During the run leading into the MAAC Tournament, the Bobcats had won each of its last four matches, dropping just one set between the contests
- The Bobcats return 10 members who saw court time from last season's championship team
- Among those returners are all three members of the MAAC Tournament All-Championship Team, Aryanah Diaz (outside hitter/opposite), Damla Gunes (libero), and Ginevra Giovagnoni (outside hitter)
- The Bobcats will welcome Iona to Hamden (Oct. 25), followed by its second match with Fairfield (Oct. 29).
- Quinnipiac opens the month of November at home against Marist on the fourth before the 2023 home finale against Siena (Nov. 5) for Senior Day.
- The Bobcats wrap their regular season on the road with bouts at Rider (Nov. 11) and Saint Peter's (Nov. 12).
For more information on Quinnipiac Volleyball, visit gobobcats.com/volleyball and follow the team on Twitter and Instagram, @QU_WVB.
Players Mentioned
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