Box Score

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Fairfield University volleyball team won its fifth straight match and posted its 14th victory in its last 16 matches by topping Manhattan College 3-1 (9-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17) this afternoon. The Stags improve to 14-2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and 17-9 overall.
 
Freshman Camille Coffey posted 11 kills on .381 hitting while setter Rachel Romansky had her 12th double-double of the year with 40 assists and 14 digs. Romansky also had four kills and two total blocks while tying a career-high with three aces.
 
Freshman Caitlin Stapleton and senior Kendal Dirkin each added nine kills and three digs. Dirkin also posted four block assists to surpass Nicole Arzillo for seventh all-time at Fairfield as she now stands with 203 for her career. In addition, Dirkin registered the 231st total block of her career which checks her into Fairfield's top-ten in that category as well.
 
Senior Lauren Balmert notched a career-high six service aces on the day, tying her the tenth-best single-match performance in program history. The last Stag to record six aces in a single match was former Stag Karlie Urbaniak who did it in 2008.
 
Senior Haililani Pokipala chipped in with eight kills and seven digs while sophomore Hayley Moyer converted five of her seven attempts for kills. On defense, junior Kara Reis posted 19 digs while Carsen Mata had eight digs.
 
After Manhattan (15-13; 8-7 MAAC) topped Fairfield, 25-9, in the first set, the Stags won the next three games. Trailing 6-5 in the second set, Pokipala tied it with a kill and then served the next seven points to give Fairfield a big lead. The Stags never looked back, going on to the 25-20 win. The momentum swing powered Fairfield in the final two frames as it handed the Jaspers 25-15 and 25-17 losses in the third and fourth sets.
 
Fairfield has two regular season matches remaining, stopping at Saint Peter's College on November 6 before closing out the slate at Iona College on November 12. The Stags, who have secured the No. 2 seed, will travel to the 2011 MAAC Volleyball Championship, November 19-20, in Jersey City, N.J.