NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - The Long Island University women's volleyball team claimed its first win of the 2025 season on Friday evening, defeating Columbia University 3-1 at the Iona Invitational. 

"It was an important match for our young group," head coach Tony Trifonov said. "It was a team effort and luckily we prevailed at the end. Hopefully this will build some momentum going into next week's home matches."

The Sharks jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the match after winning the opening set in strong fashion, 25-13. After the Lions won the second set 25-22, LIU responded by closing out the match with a 25-21 win in the third frame before winning the match in the fourth set, outscoring Columbia 27-25 to earn a 3-1 match win. 

This is LIU's first win of its 2025 campaign, and the first as a Shark for Trifonov.  

Junior outside hitter Sara van Gisteren led LIU with 17 kills in the match, posting a hitting percentage of .308. Junior middle blocker Yasmeen Muhammad finished the match with nine kills and three total blocks, while senior setter Karly Klaer totaled eight kills and 42 assists.  

Sophomore libero Miabella Musignac paced the Sharks with 19 digs, followed closely by van Gisteren and freshman outside hitter Brooke Boyles, who both totaled 14 digs.

LIU returns to the court Saturday, Sept. 20, at noon on the road against Iona University.