Box Score FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University volleyball team improved to 7-4 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and 12-9 overall following a 3-0 sweep of visiting Canisius on Saturday at Alumni Hall. The Stags were led by a double-double from Megan Theiller and a career- and match-high 15 kills off the swing of Megan O'Sullivan.
With the win, Fairfield earns a split of the season series with the Golden Griffins. The Stags also improve to 6-2 at Alumni Hall with the win by set scores of 25-19, 25-19 and 26-24.
O'Sullivan's 15 kills came via .423 hitting (15-4-26) from the junior co-captain. She added three digs, two assists and a team-high five blocks.
“Megan was a huge part of our success today,” said Head Coach Todd Kress. “We were able to get her the ball much more in transition which opened up our outsides as well.”
Charged with distributing the ball was Sydney Buckley. The sophomore setter doled out 42 assists in addition to seven digs, four blocks and three kills of her own (3-1-5, .400). Buckley guided the Stags to a .250 hitting percentage, including a scorching .357 clip in the second frame.
Theiller's double-double – her eighth of the fall and second in a row – consisted of 10 kills and 17 digs. Also on the outside, Skyler Day added 12 kills and picked up seven digs.
Rounding out the offense were Chanel Cooper with four kills, three from with Oyinkansola Akinola and one for Mallory Bechtold.
Taylor Rudeen helmed the back row from the libero spot and led all players with 23 digs. At the net, the Stags totaled nine blocks – fueled by O'Sullivan's five send-backs and four apiece from Buckley and Akinola. All told, the Fairfield defensive effort limited Canisius to a .160 hitting percentage.
Lauren Siebert led the Golden Griffins (8-17, 6-7 MAAC) with 12 kills. Grace Streicher posted a double-double from the setter spot with 31 assists and 11 digs.
The Stags ran off the first six points of the match – sparked by kills from Theiller and O'Sullivan and a block by Buckley and O'Sullivan – and never looked back in the first set. That early run proved to be the only extended run for either team in the stanza as Fairfield held off Canisius for a 25-19 win.
After an early stretch featuring seven ties and two lead changes in the second set, the Stags once again pulled away to take the 2-0 advantage. This time it was a 9-9 deadlock broken by back-to-back O'Sullivan kills that pushed Fairfield in front for good. The margin grew to 20-15 and the Stags kept the pressure on down the stretch to post another 25-19 victory.
Fairfield fell behind 7-3 early in the third set before starting the first of several comebacks in the frame. A five-point surge led by a Rudeen ace and two Theiller finishers soon tied the set at 9-9. After the Golden Griffins built another lead, this time at 15-10, the Stags ran off four straight to cut the margin to one.
The 15-14 deficit marked the first of four times that Fairfield would trim the Canisius lead to a single point before breaking through. Trailing 20-18, a service error pulled the Stags back to within a point, and a block from O'Sullivan and Cooper even the frame at 20-20. The next rally put Fairfield in front for the first time in the set on a ball-handling error. A Theiller kill extended the lead to 22-20 as the Stags stood three points away from completing the sweep.
Fairfield would earn a match-point opportunity leading 24-21, but Canisius kept the match alive with three straight points to knot the contest at 24-24 and force a timeout. Out of the stoppage, a Golden Griffins' attack error put the Stags back on top, 25-24, and Day's 12 kills of the afternoon completed the 26-24 win and the 3-0 sweep.
The Stags' MAAC home weekend concludes tomorrow against another squad on a three-match winning streak – Niagara. The Purple Eagles earned a 3-1 win at Quinnipiac this afternoon to improve to 10-13 overall and 7-6 in the MAAC. First serve from Alumni Hall is slated for 1 p.m., and the action will be broadcast live on FairfieldStags.TV.
