FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Led by double-doubles from Skyler Day and Sydney Buckley, and powered in the middle by Megan O'Sullivan, the Fairfield University volleyball team notched its fifth straight win with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Iona. After the victory on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall, the Stags stand at 11-5 overall and 4-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
Fairfield fifth consecutive victory and 13th straight MAAC win (dating back to last fall) came by set scores of 25-17, 25-19 and 25-18.
Day's double-double, which consisted of a match-high 12 kills along with 10 digs, was her second of the fall. Buckley distributed a match-leading 17 assists and picked up 13 digs to record her third double-double of 2016.
O'Sullivan picked up the kill on each of her first nine swings en route 10 total finishers on 18 attempts (10-1-18, .500). Megan Theiller added nine kills on the outside on .280 hitting (9-2-25). Kaitlyn Fisher posted three kills and Mayda Garcia had two to supplement the Fairfield attack.
Joining Buckley in the setter spot was freshman Manuela Nicolini, who doled out 12 assists and landed one kill of her own. The Stags' setting duo ran the attack to a .190 percentage for the match.
In addition to Buckley and Day, Fairfield was guided defensively by seven digs apiece from Theiller, Mallory Bechtold and Taylor Rudeen. At the net, Fisher had a hand in four of the Stags' nine team blocks. Garcia and O'Sullivan were each a part of three rejections, and Nicolini picked up two send-backs. In total, Fairfield's defensive efforts limited Iona to a .019 hitting percentage.
Rudeen also factored into the scoring with a pair of service aces. Day and Buckley each added one winner from behind the serving line.
Iona (1-14, 0-3 MAAC) was led by eight kills from Claire Archibald, who neared a double-double with nine digs. Emma Rose and Kait Ferretti handed out 12 and 11 assists, respectively, and Gaels' libero Jessica Paolucci led all players with 20 digs. Karly White was also a factor defensively for the visitors with five blocks.
After this weekend's slate of MAAC action, Fairfield joins Marist (3-0) and Quinnipiac (5-0) as the three teams with unblemished conference records. The Stags visit the Red Foxes (3-10 overall) on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tilt. Action is back on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on Oct. 1-2 as Niagara and Canisius visit for a pair of 1 p.m. starts.
