WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Fairfield University volleyball team opened the season with a tough 3-1 (25-14, 15-25, 21-25, 21-25) loss to Eastern Washington University this afternoon in the opening match of the UNC Wilmington Hilton Garden Inn Mayfaire Classic. Sophomore Megan O'Sullivan paced the Stags with seven kills and five total blocks while senior Caitlin Stapleton added seven kills of her own.

Juniors Maddie FitzPatrick and Hadley Orr chipped in with five kills apiece. FitzPatrick also had two total blocks while Orr added seven digs and three total blocks. Freshmen Sydney Buckley and Megan Theiller had solid debuts for the Stags. Buckley posted 17 assists with a dig while Theiller, the libero, had 19 digs.

Fairfield (0-1) dominated the first set, taking a commanding 20-9 lead. The Stags never looked back as they rolled to the 25-14 victory. Eastern Washington (1-0) turned the tables on Fairfield in the second set, taking a 20-12 advantage. The Stags cut the gap to 20-15 on a block by O'Sullivan and Lindsay Weaver but the Eagles countered with five straight points to even the match.

The third set went back and forth between the two squads. With the score knotted at 10-10, a kill by Stapleton sparked a 6-1 run for the Stags. The Eagles answered with a 7-2 run to tie the match at 18-18. With the score tied 20-20, Kellen Barfield put EWU ahead to stay with a kill. The Eagles went on to the 25-21 win. Eastern Washington took the fourth set by a 25-21 margin as well.

Fairfield resumes tournament play this evening against host UNC Wilmington at 7:30pm. The match will be streamed live on UNCWSports.com.