POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. -  In a battle between the top-two preseason ranked teams in the MAAC, the Fairfield Stags fell to preseason favorites Marist 3-1 (30-32, 25-20, 25-21, 27-25).  The loss was the second straight for the Stags and pushed Marist's winning streak to seven-straight matches.

The rematch of last year's MAAC Championship Final started off with a wild first set that featured 13 ties and six lead changes.  The Stags (5-7, 1-2 MAAC) fell behind 6-2 after a 4-0 run that was stopped by a kill from Marilyn Peizer.  It was the second of seven kills that the senior would tally in the first set.  Marist (10-2, 3-0 MAAC) would lead by as many as five when the score hit 12-7 and Fairfield would be forced to take a timeout.  After the huddle, the Stags went on a 9-2 run that featured three kills from Peizer, giving Fairfield a 16-14 advantage.  As the set looked like it was coming to an end, Fairfield used a 3-0 run after back-to-back attack errors by the Red Foxes to force set point and take a 24-20 lead.  That's where the match got interesting, as Marist saw off four set points and tied the score at 24 after a kill by Courtney Shaw.  The two teams extended the game to a 30-29 Marist lead when Grace Simmons would tie the set and the home team would make two straight errors to give the Stags the first frame.  Simmons tripled her career-high with three kills in the set. 

Marist jumped out in the second frame, leading by as many as four with the score 7-3 after a kill by Devon Dawson.  Trailing the entire set, Fairfield used a 3-0 run to tie the frame at 14 on a kill by Megan O'Sullivan.  The Stags would eventually take a 16-14 lead, but after a Marist timeout, the home squad built a 6-2 run and did not look back to take the second set 25-20.  The Red Foxes hit .293 in taking the set compared to a .167 hitting percentage for the Stags.

Fairfield took the early lead in the third set, taking their widest margin with the score 8-4 which featured a kill from three different Fairfield hitters including Peizer, O'Sullivan and Megan Theiller.  Marist was able to chip away putting up their own 8-5 run to gain their first lead 13-12.  The seesaw battle continued with the two sides exchanging blows until the Red Foxes opened up a 19-16 lead after a 3-0 run with two Fairfield attack errors.  The Stags tried to fight back with two kills from Peizer and one from Hadley Orr, but the Red Foxes managed to take the 25-21 decision.

The Stags were able to chip away from an early deficit in the fourth eventually tying the set at 14.  During that midway point, the Stags were led by two kills from Orr.  The two teams would once again trade points finding the frame tied at 17.  Fairfield was able to take their first lead in the frame after Peizer found the floor to make the score 16-15.  From that moment on the Stags went on a 8-4 run that put them up 23-20.  After Marist pulled back to within striking distance, the Stags had two set points but Marist was able to fight them off again and an attack error by the Stags gave Marist the victory.

In the match, libero Bella Guanciale tied a career-high with 27 digs and Simmons finished with a career-high in almost every category including kills (9), block assists (3), and total attempts (24).  The senior Peizer also recorded a career-best with 22 kills.  The Red Foxes recorded 80 digs on their side including a game-high 26 from reigning MAAC Libero of the Week Brooke Zywick.  Playing in front of her own cheering section, Theiller, who grew up minutes away from Poughkeepsie, tallied nine kills and 14 digs.

The Stags return home to Alumni Hall on Saturday, September 27 when they host in-state rival Quinnipiac University with first serve scheduled for 1 pm.