FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University volleyball team carries its eight-match winning streak and unblemished 7-0 MAAC record to Loudonville, N.Y. on Wednesday evening to challenge conference foe Siena. The Stags are 14-5 overall entering the midweek meeting with the Saints.
Fairfield went 3-0 last week, dropping Marist, Niagara and Canisius to claim sole possession of the top spot in the MAAC standings. Following the unbeaten week, Skyler Day was named MAAC Player of the Week and Mallory Bechtold was selected as MAAC Libero of the Week.
Entering the midweek contest, Fairfield leads the MAAC in kills (13.58), assists (12.72) and digs (14.97) per set. The Stags lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.147) while ranking second in their own hitting percentage (.234) and third in blocks per set (1.83).
Individually, Day and Megan Theiller top the MAAC with 3.90 and 3.84 kills per frame, respectively. Theiller is also seventh in hitting percentage at .257, just behind Kaitlyn Fisher's sixth-place clip of .273. Defensively, Megan O'Sullivan slots at fifth in blocks per set (0.92) and Bechtold ranks sixth in digs per stanza (4.18).
Most recently dropping a Sunday decision in straight sets at Iona, Siena is 4-12 on the year with a 3-3 MAAC record. The Saints fallen to conference foes Quinnipiac and Marist while recording wins over Niagara, Canisius and Manhattan. Fairfield and Siena did not share any opponents during the non-conference slate.
Reigning MAAC Player of the Year Briana Flagg leads the Saints with 2.95 kills per set while adding 2.42 digs per frame in the back row. Haley Howell – the 2015 MAAC Setter of the Year – has guided the team to a .110 hitting percentage, dishing out 8.60 assists per set. On the defensive side, Kalehua Katagiri posts a MAAC-best 4.95 digs per frame, and Sonja Vasovic leads the effort at the net with a hand in 40 of the Saints' 98 blocks.
Fairfield went 3-0 at Alumni Recreation Center last fall, besting the Saints in four sets last October and then topping Manhattan and Marist to win the 2015 MAAC Championship. The Stags also downed Siena at Alumni Hall last season to improve to 34-18 all-time against the Saints.
After Wednesday's outings, the Stags will take a pair of in-state road trips. Fairfield visits Quinnipiac (14-6, 6-1 MAAC) on Saturday, Oct. 8 and heads across town to meet Sacred Heart (11-6, 4-0 NEC) on Wednesday, Oct. 12. Action returns to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on Oct. 15-16 as the second round of MAAC play begins with visits from Siena and Marist.
