Box Score
 
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University volleyball team won its fourth straight match behind double-double efforts from three Stags as they defeated Rider University 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-10, 25-20) this afternoon at Alumni Hall. With the victory, Fairfield improves to 5-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and evens its overall record at 8-8.
 
Junior Brianna Dixion set a new career-best with 22 kills and had a season-high 11 digs for her first double-double of the year. Dixion, who hit .362 for the match, also added three assists and a block. Senior Haililani Pokipala recorded her first double-double of the year with a season-high 15 kills on .367 hitting and 21 digs, which tied a career-high. Setter Rachel Romansky tallied her seventh double-double of the year with 51 assists and 12 digs to go along with four kills. With her assists on Sunday afternoon, Romansky moved into sixth all-time at Fairfield and now has 1,732 for her career.
 
Senior Kendal Dirkin tallied five kills and two block assists, moving into a tie for tenth all-time on Fairfield's career block assists chart with 177.
 
Junior Kara Reis had 17 digs and two aces while senior Lauren Balmert added 11 digs. Freshman Carsen Mata finished with 10 digs and tied a season-best with three aces.
 
Fairfield came out strong in the first set behind .412 hitting. Freshman Lindsay Weaver put the Stags ahead, 7-4, with a kill and then served three unanswered points to force a Rider timeout. Out of the break, the Stags went on a 7-3 run to put the frame out of reach.
 
Rider (4-15; 2-5 MAAC) rallied in the second set, a stanza which featured 15 ties and eight lead changes. With the score tied 23-23, libero Brittany Gajewski delivered back-to-back aces for the Broncs to even the match at two games apiece.
 
The Stags responded by taking an 11-4 advantage to begin the third set. Fairfield led by as much as 14 points, 20-6, after a block by Weaver and Romansky. The Stags hit .371 with 15 kills and just two errors while Rider hit just .059.
 
In the fourth set, the Broncs pulled within 9-8 when the Stags put together a quick 5-1 run, capped off by a Dixion kill, to gain some breathing room. Rider would later move within 17-13, but a Broncs error and three-straight kills by Pokipala returned the lead to eight points. Rider cut the gap to 24-20 but sophomore Hayley Moyer put the match away with her third kill of the set.
 
Weaver finished with six kills and two total blocks. Freshman Caitlin Stapleton added eight kills and two total blocks.
 
Fairfield has three matches on tap this week at Alumni Hall. The Stags host Siena on October 5 at 7pm followed by Manhattan College at 2pm on October 8 and St. Peter's College on October 9 at 2pm.