MAAC Championship Notes

The Fairfield University volleyball team will begin its quest for a MAAC Championship on Saturday, November 19 at 4pm when they take on third-seeded Siena College in the semifinals in Jersey City, N.J. The second-seeded Stags enter the 2011 MAAC Championship as winners of seven straight and 16 of the last 18 matches. Fairfield has lost just one set in the last six matches.

On the Web: For complete tournament coverage, visit MAAC Championship Central. In addition, Live Stats will be available while all matches will be streamed live on MAAC.tv.

About the 2011 MAAC Championship: The 2011 MAAC Championship is being hosted by Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, N.J. The field consists of #1 Niagara, #2 Fairfield, #3 Siena, and #4 Canisius. There will be two semifinal matches on Saturday with Niagara facing Canisius at 12pm followed by the Stags and the Saints. The winners will play in the MAAC Championship final on Sunday, November 20 at 1pm.

Fairfield & The MAAC Championship: Fairfield had a string of MAAC Championships between 1997-2001. Since then, the Stags have gone 22-13 in MAAC Championship action. Seven of those losses have come in the MAAC Championship final, including five-straight between 2004-08. Last season, Niagara defeated the Stags in the semifinals, 3-1, but Fairfield prevailed over Canisius, 3-1, in the third place match at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida.

#2 Fairfield (19-9; 16-2 MAAC) vs. #3 Siena (13-14; 11-7 MAAC): The Stags and the Saints have a storied MAAC Championship history, meeting in the finals for four straight seasons from 2005-08. In 2009, the streak was halted as both teams were eliminated from MAAC Championship play in the semifinals by their respective opponents. The Saints and the Stags have met in 11 postseason matches, with Siena holding the 6-5 advantage over Fairfield. During the 2011 regular season, the Stags swept the series from the Saints in the form of 3-2 and 3-1 victories. Fairfield is 27-15 all-time against Siena.

Lots of Points: Fairfield and Siena battled it out in Alumni Hall on October 5, combining for 211 points. The Stags prevailed 25-22, 32-30, 25-27, 26-24. The Stags scored 108 points in the match, which is the third-highest single match total (25-point scoring format) in NCAA Division I history. Interestingly, Fairfield was the last team to break 100 points, doing so against Rider (104) on October 24, 2010.

#2 Fairfield vs. #1 Niagara (23-8; 17-1 MAAC): The Purple Eagles are the only MAAC team to have gotten the better of the Stags over the last two seasons. After dropping 20 consecutive matches to Fairfield, Niagara turned the tables and has now won the last five meetings. The Purple Eagles posted 3-0 and 3-1 victories to hand the Stags their only two MAAC losses of the year. Fairfield is 22-8 all-time against Niagara

#2 Fairfield vs. #4 Canisius (15-14; 10-8 MAAC): Fairfield has taken the last three meetings from Canisius, including a sweep in 2011. Fairfield pulled out 3-2 victories in both contests this season. Fairfield is 22-9 all-time against Canisius.

One More for 20: The Stags enter the MAAC Championship with 19 victories. Should Fairfield defeat Siena, the Stags would notch their 11th 20-win season and the first since 2008 when Head Coach Alija Pittenger led them to a 20-13 overall mark and a 16-2 MAAC record.