Box Score
 
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University volleyball team won their eighth-straight match by pulling out an exciting 3-2 (34-32, 14-25, 25-11, 22-25, 16-14) victory over Iona College this afternoon on Senior Day in Alumni Hall. With the win, the Stags moved to 9-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and 12-8 overall.
 
Junior Brianna Dixion notched a match-best 21 kills, one shy of a career high, and nine digs along with three total blocks. Freshman Caitlin Stapleton tallied a career-best 15 kills and tied a career-best with six total blocks, including three solo blocks. Senior Haililani Pokipala registered 14 kills on .324 hitting with nine assists.
 
Junior Kara Reis recorded a career-high 32 digs to go along with three aces and five assists. Her 32 digs tied the second-highest single match total in program history.
 
Setter Rachel Romansky notched her eighth double-double of the year with a season-high 58 assists and 12 digs. Romansky also had three kills and three total blocks. Senior Lauren Balmert chipped in with 12 digs while Carsen Mata added nine digs and a pair of aces.
 
Senior Kendal Dirkin and freshman Lindsay Weaver came through with eight kills apiece. Dirkin hit .350 for the match and added five total blocks while Weaver had three digs and three total blocks.
 
The first stanza set the tone for the entire match as the two teams battled it out for 20 ties and seven lead changes. Dixion tallied 11 kills in the first set, including a crucial kill which tied the frame at 31-31. Romansky followed with a kill but Iona's Catrina Warren countered with a kill of her own. Pokipala answered with back-to-back kills to give Fairfield the first set, 34-32.
 
Iona (9-8; 6-3 MAAC) never trailed in the second set, going on to the 25-14 win. Fairfield bounced back in the third frame, dominating the Gaels in the 25-11 victory.
 
In the fourth set, Fairfield pulled ahead 15-14 on a kill by Stapleton, but Iona went on a 5-0 run. The Stags rallied back, tying the score, 21-21, on a Pokipala kill. After a kill by Alicja Pawelec, Pokipala tied the score once again, but the Gaels were able to hang on for the 25-22 victory.
 
The Stags stormed out to a 6-1 lead in the beginning of the fifth set. Iona did not back down, coming back to the set, 7-7, on a block by Warren. Fairfield then posted five unanswered points to gain some ground, but the Gaels came back once again, tying the score at 13-13. With the score resting at 14-14, Pokipala came through with a kill while Romansky and Dirkin put the match away with a block.
 
Fairfield's eight-match winning streak ties the 11th longest in program history and the longest since 2009 when the Stags won nine straight matches.
 
Fairfield returns to action next weekend when it travels to Niagara and Canisius.