FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Disney World is where magic happens. The Stags will hope to capture some of that magic when they head to Florida to defend their back-to-back MAAC Championships.  The Stags have earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament and will face No. 5 Rider in the First Round on Thursday at 2pm.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Stags are coming off a 2-0 weekend which included a win on Senior Day. Fairfield had their most balanced display of the season with 11 players picking up a kill and six registering double figures. Marilyn Peizer had a bounce back performance over the weekend leading the team with 3.29 kills per set and came off the bench against Niagara. Peizer hit double figures in both matches and hit .308 on the 2-0 weekend. The senior class had their best showing on Senior Day, with all six seniors, including the libero, notching a kill in the contest. The Class of 2015 was responsible for 49 kills on the day.

FAIRFIELD IN THE MAAC TOURNAMENT:  This is the 19th straight year that the Stags have qualified for the championship tournament.
 Fairfield is looking for their first three- peat since 1999 (the year after current Head Coach Todd Kress left). The Stags enter this year's tournament as the No.4 seed. It is the second time in history that Fairfield enters as the fourth seed in the tournament. Fairfield has never won a match as a #4 seed, getting swept by Manhattan in 2003. Fairfield has won only one championship title in Florida. That victory came in 1998, the last season at Fairfield for current Head Coach Todd Kress. Four years ago, the Stags were the #5 seed in Disney before losing in the semifinals to Niagara. In 2006, Siena defeated Fairfield in the finals; and in 2002 Fairfield lost in the second round to Saint Peter's.

ALMOST AT THE TOP…AGAIN: With two more victories, Head Coach Todd Kress will regain his position as the all-time winningest coach at Fairfield, surpassing Ajila Pittenger.
Kress was at the helm during Fairfield's first MAAC title in 1997 and led the squad to a 35-2 record in his final season in 1998. Kress became the third coach in program history with 100 wins as a Stag with Fairfield's home win against Quinnipiac.

MADDIE SHACK: Senior Maddie FitzPatrick is coming off a career performance against Canisius. The senior had a personal best nine kills in her final home match while hitting .428. FitzPatrick has been a clutch force for the Stags during her MAAC tournament appearances. FitzPatrick is tallying 27 kills, a .400 hitting percentage, and 17 blocks in her four MAAC Championship matches.

YOU HAVE A SECOND?: The second set has been an indicator of Fairfield's success this season. Fairfield is 12-1 when winning the second set, but just 5-10 when losing.
Last season, Fairfield was 18-5 when winning the second set and just 1-7 when losing. In 2012, the Stags were 18-2 when winning the second set. In those three years combined, Fairfield is 48-7 when winning the second set. Fairfield's only loss this season when winning the second frame came against Manhattan at home.

ALL ABOUT RIDER: Rider comes into the tournament dropping three straight matches and four of their last five overall. The Stags hold a 25-3 overall record against the Broncs, the highest win percentage of against any current MAAC team. Fairfield has won 11 straight against Rider with their last loss coming in 2009. The Broncs won the first ever meeting in 1989 and also won in 2004. The two teams have never met in the postseason.

Rider is arguably having their best season in program history. The Broncs have set a record with 10 MAAC wins, beating the previous mark by four wins. Rider is making their sixth trip to the MAAC playoffs, advancing to the semifinals in 2004. Jaclyn Webber and Kaitlyn Griffin are both averaging 2.6 kills per set, with Webber already reaching the 1000 kill club. The Broncs use three different setters who have averaged over three assists per set. Defensively, Emma Aldaya leads the team with 4.22 digs per frame with Webber right behind her at 3.17 per stanza. Rider is not the team to beat you from the service line, averaging only 1.19 aces per set.

Carsen Mata is averaging 13.17 assists per set against Rider this season. Megan O'Sullivan leads the squad with a .519 hitting percentage against the Jersey side with 16 kills on 27 attempts. Camille Coffey is notching 5.8 digs per frame this season.

UP NEXT: If the Stags win, they will play the winner of No.1 Marist and No. 8 Iona/ No. 9 Saint Peter's in the semifinals on Friday at 5pm.  That match will be live on ESPN3.  If Fairfield loses, they will play Friday at 2pm.