PHILADELPHIA – The Fairfield University volleyball team staved off a sweep with a third-set victory at Penn on Friday evening, but the Quakers' early lead proved insurmountable in an eventual 3-1 decision for the hosts. The contest was the Stags' first of three this weekend at the Palestra in the Crowne Plaza Philadelphia West Penn Invitational.

The Stags (3-4) were led by double-figure kills from Megan O'Sullivan, Megan Theiller and Skyler Day. O'Sullivan, Theiller and freshman Sydney Williams each had four kills in the third frame as Fairfield extended the match with a 25-15 win. In total, the Quakers claimed victory by set scores of 26-24, 25-23, 15-25 and 25-15.

“I'm pleased with our effort in the first three sets, but we have to start capitalizing on opportunities,” said Head Coach Todd Kress. “We worked very hard to give ourselves those opportunities in the first two sets but couldn't convert. The positive is that the team completely understands the necessary changes. How quickly we make those changes will depend on our discipline to do so.”

Including the first two sets of tonight's match, the Stags have reached the 20-point plateau in 11 of 15 sets lost this fall. The first frame marked the sixth time for the Stags in 2015 that a set extended beyond 25 points to determine a winner.

O'Sullivan's team-leading 12 kills came on .391 hitting (12-3-23). Theiller and Day each added 11 finishers on the outside, and Williams chipped in with seven. Chanel Cooper led the Fairfield reserves with six kills off the bench. The Stags' offense hit at a collective .163 clip.

Fairfield continued to utilize a pair of setters as Sydney Buckley and Kiley Lingenfelter shared duties running the attack. Buckley doled out 24 assists for the Stags, and Lingenfelter passed out 17 helpers.

In the back row, libero Mallory Bechtold had a match-best 19 digs with Day adding nine. At the net, Williams and fellow freshman Oyinkansola Akinola each had a hand in three of the Stags' five team blocks.

Theiller, the reigning MAAC Player of the Week after taking All-Tournament honors at last weekend's Fairfield Invitational, landed three aces while O'Sullivan, Bechtold and Buckley each dropped in one winner.

The host Quakers hit a cumulative .245 for the match, led by 15 kills from Alexis Genske and 12 kills on 28 errorless swings (.429) from Alex Caldwell. Ronnie Bither dished out 40 assists for Penn, and Michelle Pereira had a team-high 17 digs. The Quakers posted 13 team blocks, fueled by Kendall Covington, who approached a double-double with nine send-backs to go along with 10 kills.

The Stags return to action at the Palestra at 1 p.m. tomorrow for a clash with Towson. Fairfield's stay in Philadelphia then concludes with a 4:30 p.m. match against Delaware State.