Box Score LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. –It didn't look good for the Stags. Fairfield found themselves down two sets to none, but the Class of 2015 have been there before, and that is not how they wanted their career to end. Fairfield fought back to win the next three sets to end the 2014 season with a win in the third-place game. It was Fairfield's first two set comeback victory since the 2012 MAAC Championship game.
“The win today shows that this program is comprised of people with great pride and determination,” Head Coach Todd Kress said. “We could have packed it in after the second but this group refused to have a loss be the last thing they remember about the 2014 season.”
Although Fairfield (19-12, 13-5 MAAC) was not playing for their third straight MAAC Championship, the Stags showed focus against a Manhattan (21-13, 14-4 MAAC) team they have not beaten this season.
After totaling 21 attack errors in the first two sets, Fairfield hit just eight in the final three starting with a .368 performance in the third set. Caitlin Stapleton was perfect in the third game. The senior had four kills on four attempts. Lindsay Weaver and Marilyn Peizer led the squad with five kills apiece. The Stags had to fight through six tie scores in the period but held the Jaspers to a .184 hitting percentage to take the set.
The Stags still needed to win two more, and continued their hot hitting with 19 kills in the fourth game. Fairfield hit .381, this time led in the middle by Megan O'Sullivan who had five kills on eight attempts.
The seniors accounted for 11 of the 19 kills in the set. Seven Stags recorded a dig in the fourth stanza, led by Megan Theiller who had nine. Fairfield held a 25-18 advantage in digs in the fourth.
The Stags hit just one miscue in the decisive set with seven kills. Defensively, Camille Coffey saved many rallies with a team-high seven digs in the stanza. Fairfield trailed by as many as three with score 8-5, but a Weaver kill changed the momentum. Theiller and Stapleton would provide a kill the rest of the way, but Fairfield forced five Manhattan errors to take the set and the match.
The seniors had 46 kills in the match.
Fairfield is coming off their 19th straight MAAC playoff appearance and picked up their fourth straight top-three finish to a season. The Stags rode a six-game winning streak for the third straight season and really turned their season around after becoming the first MAAC team to defeat Marist, ending their program long winning streak. With the win, Todd Kress tied the program coaching record with his 113th career win at Fairfield.
