FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball remained unbeaten in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Iona this afternoon on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. The Stags moved to 11-0 in the MAAC (15-6 overall) with their 12th straight victory overall. Fairfield took the win by set scores of 25-16, 25-15 and 25-22.
After today's win, Fairfield breaks its own record with its 38th consecutive MAAC regular season victory – a streak that dates back exactly two years to Oct. 22, 2015. The prior mark of 37 straight wins was established by the Stags from 1997-2001. The 1997-01 Fairfield teams also set the MAAC record of 49 straight wins over conference foes including postseason and non-conference meetings. The current Stags' streak stands at 42 victories over MAAC opposition.
In today's victory, the Stags hit a blistering .398 against Iona, the highest hitting percentage allowed by the Gaels this fall. On the outside,
Skyler Day led all players with 18 kills on .500 hitting and
Megan Theiller added 12 kills swinging at a .308 clip. In the middle,
Kaylie Butts hit .625 – racking up five kills on eight errorless swings – and
Luci Albertson had five kills with a .444 hitting percentage.
To supplement the Fairfield attack on the right side,
Kaitlyn Fisher and
Mayda Garcia each had three kills.
Manuela Nicolini added two kills and distributed 39 assists while managing the Stags' offense from the setter position.
Libero
Taylor Rudeen led the defensive effort with 19 digs, aided by nine digs from Day and seven by Theiller.
Sonja Radulovic added six from the back row. At the net, Albertson played a part in five of Fairfield's eight team blocks. Nicolini had a hand in four send-backs and Butts got a piece of three rejections. In total, Fairfield's defensive effort limited Iona to a .150 hitting percentage.
Rounding out the scoring, the Stags dropped in six service aces. Radulovic was responsible for four winners, including three straight aces during a run that saw the Stags turn a 7-6 deficit into a 19-7 lead to put away the second set. Day and Nicolini each served up one ace apiece.
Iona was led by 11 kills from Claire Archibald, who just missed a double-double with a team-high nine digs. Karla Jordan added six kills from the middle on .556 hitting. The duo of Emma Rose and Jamie Smith ran the attack and finished with 20 and 10 assists, respectively.
Today's contest was Fairfield Volleyball's Herd for a Cure match to benefit the
Norma Pfriem Breast Center. Now in its second year, Fairfield Athletics and the Center have formed a partnership in which Fairfield's teams across all sports designate a Herd for a Cure game to raise money and awareness. Last year, the inaugural campaign resulted in a donation of more than $2,000 from Fairfield Athletics to the Norma Pfriem Breast Center.
Up next, the Stags will make the short trip to Hamden next Friday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., to complete the home-and-home series with in-state MAAC foe Quinnipiac. The Bobcats are 7-19 overall and 6-7 in the MAAC after a four-set win over Manhattan this afternoon on Burt Kahn Court.
Action returns to Alumni Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 1 for a midweek visit from Marist (11-11, 8-3 MAAC) at 7 p.m.
