HAMDEN, Conn. – Skyler Day hammered home a career-high 22 kills to lead the Fairfield University volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep at in-state MAAC foe Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon. Megan Theiller added 15 finishers on the outside as the Stags took the match by set scores of 25-22, 25-23 and 25-15.
With the win, Fairfield improves to 16-5 overall and completes an unblemished round of MAAC play at 9-0. The Stags have won 10 consecutive matches for the 11th time in program history and have now won 18 straight MAAC regular season contests dating back to last fall. Fairfield has also defeated every MAAC team at least once (including postseason) for the third consecutive season. The Stags have accomplished that feat in eight of 11 campaigns since the conference adopted an 18-match schedule in 2006.
Quinnipiac, which is in the midst of its best campaign since joining the Division I ranks in 1999, falls to 14-7 on the season with a 6-2 MAAC record.
In addition to setting a new personal career-high, Day's 22 kills are the most by a Stag in a three-set match since Katie Mann's 23 finisher in a sweep of Canisius on Oct. 21, 2007. Day, who is the reigning MAAC Player of the Week, hit .425 en route to her 22 kills and nearly completed a double-double with nine digs.
Theiller's 15 kills came on .424 hitting as she also closed in on a double-double with eight digs. Megan O'Sullivan added eight kills on 16 errorless swings (.500) from the middle of the attack. Rounding out the scoring were Kaitlyn Fisher wth six kills and Mayda Garcia with two.
The Stags' offense was run to a .398 clip – the team's best performance in a MAAC outing this fall – by setters Sydney Buckley and Manuela Nicolini. Buckley doled out 22 assists while Nicolini dispensed 24 and recorded four kills of her own on five errorless swings.
Defensively, Mallory Bechtold headed the effort from the libero spot with 22 digs. At the net, O'Sullivan was a part of all three of the Stags' blocks. She teamed up with Nicolini for two rejections and partnered with Theiller for one send-back.
Quinnipiac's attack was led by 15 kills from Jen Coffey, who hit .306 on the outside. Maria Pansari dished out a match-best 32 assists while guiding the Bobcats to a .226 attack percentage, at Kat Miller had a team-leading 10 digs.
