FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University volleyball team completed an 18-0 run through the MAAC regular season on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over visiting Quinnipiac. The Stags, who also extended the nation's longest winning streak to 20 matches, were led by a record-setting day from Megan Theiller and a strong performance in the middle by Megan O'Sullivan on her Senior Day on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall.
Fairfield (26-5 overall) is just the second team to ever accomplish an 18-0 MAAC record. The 2006 Stags went unscathed through the regular season in 2006 – the first year that the MAAC adopted an 18-match slate. Fairfield previously went 9-0 in the MAAC in four straight campaigns from 1997-2000, winning the MAAC Championship in each of those seasons. As the 2016 MAAC Regular Season Champion, Fairfield has earned a bye to the semifinal round of the MAAC Championship, which will be held at Alumni Hall from Nov. 18-20.
Fairfield's active 20-match winning streak is the fourth in program history and the first since the aforementioned 2006 squad.
The first and senior to celebrate Senior Day for Fairfield Volleyball since 2014, O'Sullivan helped to power the attack this afternoon with 14 kills on .414 hitting and fueled the defensive effort at the net with five blocks. The performance ran her career totals to 776 kills and 339 blocks – the fourth-most rejections in program history.
Also in today's match, on the day Megan Theiller was recognized for her 1,000th career kill, the junior sent home 30 finishers – the most in Fairfield history during the rally scoring era (2001-present). The feat marks the seventh 30-kill day by a Stag in the overall record book. Prior to today, the most recent occurrence came on Sept. 23, 2000 when Conny Paul had 30 finishers in a 3-2 win over Oregon State.
Theiller hit .317 on the outside and added 21 digs and four blocks to her statline. Her team-leading 14th double-double is the first 20-20 game for a Stag since Kelly Oliver eclipsed 20 kills and 20 digs in two different matches during the 2007 season.
Skyler Day also posted a double-double against Quinnipiac this afternoon, recording 13 kills and 10 digs. Kaitlyn Fisher and Mayda Garcia added four kills apiece with Sonja Radulovic, Taylor Rudeen and Manuela Nicolini each landing one.
The offense was run to a .208 clip by Nicolini and Sydney Buckley, who distributed 29 and 28 assists, respectively. Buckley also contributed four digs to the Fairfield defense while Nicolini posted three digs and a block.
The back row was led by a match-best 23 digs from Mallory Bechtold, and Rudeen added 10 digs. Jamie Calandro chipped in two digs while serving during a crucial 5-0 run for the Stags in the third set. O'Sullivan's five blocks headed an effort at the net that produced nine total send-backs. Theiller had a hand in four blocks with Day, Fisher and Garcia each playing a role in two rejections as Fairfield limited the Bobcats to a .129 hitting percentage.
Rounding out the scoring, Radulovic landed a pair of service aces for the Stags and Bechtold dropped in one.
Quinnipiac (19-12, 11-7 MAAC) was led by 13 kills from Jen Coffey, while Allison Leigh added nine kills and eight blocks. Maria Pansari doled out 38 assists and completed a double-double with 13 digs. Libero Alejandra Rodrigue had 21 digs for the Bobcats. Quinnipiac has clinched a berth in the upcoming MAAC Championship with seeding for the postseason still to be decided.
The Stags now turn their attention to the 2016 MAAC Championship at Alumni Hall on Nov. 18-20. As the MAAC Regular Season Champion and top seed in the tournament, Fairfield will first take the court in the postseason on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. in the semifinal round. Quinnipiac, Marist, Niagara, Rider and Siena will fill out the postseason field, with seeding to be decided by this weekend's action. FairfieldStags.com will provide updated information regarding the MAAC Championship as it is finalized by the conference office.
