Fairfield will open its 2010 campaign on Friday, August 27 at the Colgate Classic. First up for the Stags is Rhode Island at 12:30pm followed by Syracuse at 7pm. Fairfield concludes play on Saturday against the host Raiders.

The Stags, who were picked to finish second in the MAAC, have done a lot with a fairly young team over the last two seasons. Head Coach Alija Pittenger has implemented a new system, notched two MAAC Regular Season Championships, a MAAC Championship final appearance, and 39 victories.

With youth, comes experience and that experience translates into junior and senior classes that have comprised the majority of the Stags starting line-up since 2008. They have been the ones taking the most swings, getting to the most balls, and putting the Stags in a position to win. The upperclassmen have been in big-match situations, appearing in the MAAC Championship final in two of the last three years. At times, the ball hasn't always bounced the Stags way, but it's the experience gained in those situations that will help Fairfield in the long run.

Now in her third season at the helm, Pittenger expects that her team will be ready to compete for a MAAC title once again.

"The only thing I can ask for is that the team continues to improve," she said. "We had a very productive spring season and I want to see them carry everything we worked on into this fall. As long as we can do that, we will definitely have a good year."

 

Outside/Right Side: The Stags will be deepest at the outside and the right side with the return of the 2009 MAAC Rookie of the Year Brianna Dixion and 2008 All-MAAC selection Alex Lopez. Pittenger also welcomes back senior Lauren Hughes and junior Haililani Pokipala.

Dixion had an outstanding debut for the Stags, tallying 348 kills, 280 digs, and 63 total blocks. The All-MAAC Second Team honoree had nine double-doubles and recorded 10-plus kills in 20 of the 31 matches she played in. Lopez returns after missing the entire 2009 campaign with an injury sustained during the preseason. As a sophomore, Lopez was thrust into a starting role and shined, averaging 2.74 kills and 2.93 digs per set with 12 double-doubles en route to All-MAAC Second Team accolades.

Hughes took the third-most swings on the team last season, converting 277 of those for kills. The Stags will count on her strong shot placement skills and her ability to put the ball away as additional weapons to the offense.

In addition to her swings, Pokipala has two facets of her game that will help the Stags on the outside - her ability to get to shots and her serve. Pokipala scooped up 291 digs last season, the second-most on the team in addition to her 206 kills. But Pittenger relied on her serve the most, as Pokipala finished the season ranked 30th in the nation and second in the MAAC in aces per set (0.43).

Junior Amanda Steiger adds depth to the outside and right side and will once again be used in a reserve role.

Middle Blockers: With the graduation of Katie Mann, the middle will be the greenest position for the Stags. Juniors Kendal Dirkin and Bethany Steiger were used in reserve roles last season while Hayley Moyer will be joining the Stags for her first season.

The 6-foot Moyer was a two-time Big VIII All-League First Team selection at Martin Luther King High School in California. She was also a two-time All-County honorable mention and the team's MVP as a junior. Moyer also played club volleyball for 951 Elite for three seasons. Dirkin appeared in 22 matches for the Stags last season, posting 78 kills and 48 total blocks. Steiger came off the bench in eight matches, notching five total blocks.

Setter: There will be three Stags vying for time at the setter position - junior Lauren Balmert, senior Hannah Segebart, and rookie Rachel Romansky. Balmert is coming off a strong sophomore campaign in which she earned All-MAAC Second Team honors. Balmert appeared in 114 sets, tallying 1,046 assists, 222 digs, and 43 blocks. Segebart appeared in 11 matches last season after transferring from Armstrong Atlantic State. She finished the year with 116 assists and 35 digs and a double-double against Saint Peter's. The 5-foot-8 Romansky was a four-year letterwinner at Wheatridge High School in Colorado where she earned a starting spot as a freshman. Romansky, was ranked among the top-100 seniors in the nation by prepvolleyball.com, and was a three-time First Team All-Conference selection and a two-time All-State honoree.

Libero/Defensive Specialist: Sophomores Kara Reis and Stephanie Cruz will once again handle the libero and defensive duties for the Stags. Reis had a strong rookie debut, averaging 4.50 digs per set, good for fifth in the league. Named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week three times, she appeared in all 116 sets and finished the year with 522 digs, the fourth-highest single season total in program history. Reis was also strong on the serve, averaging 0.34 per set, good for fifth in the league. Cruz, who brings energy to the court, checked into 110 sets during her freshman campaign and collected 219 digs.