FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University volleyball team ran off its 11th consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon with a sweep of visiting Siena, 3-0, on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. The Stags also remain unbeaten in the MAAC with the straight-set triumph, improving to 10-0 after completing the home-and-home sweep of the Saints by set scores of 25-17, 25-20 and 25-23.
Fairfield (17-5 overall) was led on the attack by 16 kills from Skyler Day. The back-to-back MAAC Player of the Week neared a double-double with nine digs to aid the defensive effort. Also on the outside, Megan Theiller slammed home 14 kills on .480 hitting and added six digs. Megan O'Sullivan contributed six kills from the middle, Mayda Garcia added two and Kaitlyn Fisher landed one.
The offense was run through the combo of Manuela Nicolini and Sydney Buckley. Nicolini dished out 19 assists in addition to two kills of her own, and Buckley distributed 15 helpers. The pair guided the MAAC's top hitting offense to a .270 clip for the match.
On the defensive end, Fairfield recorded double-digit blocks for the second time this season with 10 rejections. Nicolini and O'Sullivan headed the effort at the net, each getting a hand on seven send-backs. Garcia got a piece of three blocks and Day was part of two. O'Sullivan had the Stags' lone solo block of the contest. In the back row, Mallory Bechtold led all players with 22 digs from the libero spot. Theiller notched six from the back row with Nicolini and Taylor Rudeen each adding five digs.
The Stags also netted four points from behind the service line. Theiller landed two service aces for Fairfield, and Rudeen and Bechtold each dropped in one winner.
Siena (5-15, 4-6 MAAC) was led by a team-best seven kills from Brianna Flagg. Samantha Pethokoukis had five kills on 13 errorless swings (.385) and served up four aces for the visitors. The Saints offense was piloted to a .105 hitting percentage by Haley Howell, who doled out 22 assists. Libero Kalehua Katagiri led the back row with 13 digs.
Fairfield concludes its weekend homestand tomorrow as Marist comes to Alumni Hall for a 1 p.m. contest. The Red Foxes are 7-12 overall and 7-2 in the MAAC after a five-set loss at Quinnipiac this afternoon. The Stags earned a 3-1 victory at Marist on Sept. 28.
