Box Score POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Fairfield University volleyball team erased a 2-0 deficit to stun host Marist, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon in Poughkeepsie. The Stags' comeback was led by a dominant performance at the net and double-doubles from Skyler Day and Megan Theiller. Fairfield took the win by set scores of 23-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23 and 15-9.
"Our comeback today was another example of a great team win," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "The team was composed and focused at the break after set two. We weren't playing poorly, but simply weren't fighting at the net and defensively. We made some significant adjustments for the last three sets, and I'm proud of the entire team for remaining patient and fighting back."
Fairfield (8-8, 4-3 MAAC) sent home a season-best 16 total blocks in the match, paced by Kaitlyn Fisher, who had a hand in nine send-backs, and Oyinkansola Akinola, who recorded one solo block in addition to seven assists. Megan O'Sullivan was a part of six Fairfield rejections.
The 16 blocks accounted for more than half of Marist's 31 attacking errors, as the hosts were limited to a .194 hitting percentage.
Also on the defensive end, Mallory Bechtold recorded 25 digs from the libero spot, while Theiller and Day added 22 and 12, respectively.
Day led the Fairfield attack, rounding out her fourth consecutive double-double with a team-high 17 kills (17-6-40, .275). Also on the outside, Theiller had 14 finishers on .250 hitting (14-3-44). O'Sullivan headed the offensive efforts from the middle with 10 kills on .474 hitting (10-1-19).
Chanel Cooper added 11 kills, Fisher posted nine and Akinola sent home seven.
The Stags hit at an efficient .302 clip, guided by setters Sydney Buckley and Kiley Lingenfelter with 34 and 28 assists, respectively.
Marist's Kelsey Lahey led all players with 22 kills. Amanda Schlegel handed out 52 assists for the Red Foxes, and Kelsey Ediger had a match-leading 26 digs.
The match featured a total of 52 ties and 22 lead changes, including 13 deadlocks in the first set. The final stalemate came at 22-22, at which points Marist ran off consecutive points to take a 24-22 advantage. Fairfield thwarted one set-point chance on a Theiller kill before the Red Foxes grabbed an early lead with a 25-23 decision.
The second frame was another back-and-forth affair, though Marist would pull away at the mid-point of the stanza. Trailing 17-16, the hosts went on a five-point surge to take a 21-17 advantage and kept the Stags at arm's length en route to a 25-20 win to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Another bout of trading leads defined the third set, with the final tie coming at 20-20. This time around, it was the Stags who broke the deadlock on a kill and ace by Theiller followed by an Oyinkansola finisher. Marist would stop the run at three points, but Fairfield put the match away with back-to-back blocks to stay afloat with a 25-21 victory.
The Stags carried their momentum into the fourth frame, which saw the clubs trade leads to a 22-22 score. Fairfield came out of the tie with back-to-back points, and an O'Sullivan kill brought Fairfield all the way back to force a deciding fifth set with a 25-23 win.
The fifth set was the only frame to not include a tie or lead change with Fairfield starting the stanza on a 5-1 run and leading the way wire-to-wire. The Stags' lead grew as a large as 12-6, and that margin proved to be the difference as Fairfield completed its comeback with a 15-9 win.
The Stags continue their road trip and complete the first half of MAAC play next weekend with trips to Manhattan and Iona
