Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn.– The Fairfield University volleyball team won their sixth consecutive match by topping Loyola University Maryland 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-21) this afternoon at Alumni Hall. Senior Brianna Dixion paced the Stags with her second-straight double-double.
 
Fairfield improves to 18-8 overall and 13-3 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Fairfield and Canisius College have identical league records and sit atop the MAAC standings. The Stags, who fell to the Griffs in five sets earlier this year, will host Canisius in the regular season finale next weekend.
 
The Stags, who have taken 18-straight from the Greyhounds, hit a collective .398 on the day for their best attack percentage of the season. Dixion posted 12 kills on .409 hitting and 11 digs along with two service aces. Sophomore Marilyn Peizer added nine kills on .450 hitting with three total blocks. Junior Hayley Moyer chipped in with eight kills on .500 hitting and tied a career-high with four service aces while Caitlin Stapleton had eight kills.
 
Junior Rachel Romansky recorded 35 assists and four kills while senior Kara Reis had 18 digs and four assists.
 
The first set was close early, but the Stags used a 5-1 run midway through the set to pull away from the Greyhounds, 15-10. They later used a 7-1 run to create an insurmountable gap. Fairfield hit .522 in the set with 14 kills and just two errors in 23 attempts. The Stags continued their hot-hitting in the second set, posting a .464 attack percentage with 15 kills and just two errors in 28 attempts. Fairfield closed out the frame on a 9-1 run in the 25-15 victory.
 
There were 10 ties and six lead changes in the third set. The Stags were trailing, 14-13, when a kill by Peizer ignited an important 4-1 run for Fairfield. The Stags pulled away from the Greyhounds, 22-18, on consecutive aces by Moyer, but Loyola surged back, cutting it to 22-21. Back-to-back errors by the Greyhounds shifted the momentum back to Fairfield, while Stapleton put the match away with a kill.
 
Fairfield will close out the regular season next weekend at Alumni Hall with a crucial pair of MAAC matches as Niagara University visits on November 10 followed by Canisius on November 11 on Senior Day; both matches are slated for 2pm. Fairfield plays host to the 2012 MAAC Volleyball Championship, November 17-18 at Alumni Hall. Fairfield, Canisius, Niagara, and Siena College have all secured berths in the tournament.