FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball got double-doubles from
Megan Theiller,
Skyler Day and
Manuela Nicolini to power a 3-0 sweep of visiting Niagara on Saturday afternoon on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. The meeting of the top two seeds in the upcoming Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship was decided by set scores of 25-21, 25-23 and 25-13.
The win is the 18th consecutive triumph for Fairfield (22-6, 17-0 MAAC), which stands one win shy of completing its second consecutive unbeaten MAAC regular season. A victory tomorrow would also be the Stags' 49th straight win over MAAC opponents (including postseason and non-conference) to tie the MAAC record established by Fairfield from 1997-2001.
This afternoon, Theiller led all players with 14 kills on .270 hitting, completing her double-double with a team-leading 13 digs. Also on the outside, Day notched 11 kills with 12 digs. Nicolini's double-double came from the setter position, where she handed out 45 assists and added 12 digs to the defensive effort.
Kaylie Butts fueled the attack from the middle with 12 kills on .550 hitting (12-1-20) with fellow rookie
Luci Albertson added five kills at a .444 clip (5-1-9). Rounding out the attack,
Mayda Garcia posted seven kills, Nicolini dumped over two and
Sonja Radulovic landed one as the Stags aggregated a .298 hitting percentage.
Also aiding the scoring, Albertson, Nicolini and
Jamie Calandro each landed two service aces.
In the back row, Theiler's 13 digs led five Stags in double digits, followed by a dozen each for Day and Nicolini, 11 from
Taylor Rudeen out of the libero slot and 10 by Radulovic. At the net, Albertson played a role in four of Fairfield's six team blocks, while Garcia and Nicolini each had a hand in two rejections. In total, the defensive effort limited Niagara (17-9, 13-4 MAAC) to a .148 hitting percentage.
The Purple Eagles were guided offensively by 11 kills on .500 hitting from Jaycie Roberts, who also notched 10 digs to cap a double-double. Setters Alexis Gray and Meghan Higley doled out 15 and 12 assists, respectively, and libero Rylee Hunt led all players with 22 digs.
"Overall, I thought we played well. We did a nice job defensively," said Head Coach
Todd Kress. "But this match showed us some things that we need to work on leading into next weekend. One of the things that I like and respect about Niagara is how they accentuate the weaknesses of their opponents. But we'll clean those things up and be ready to go tomorrow and next weekend."
The Stags will celebrate Senior Day prior to tomorrow's 1 p.m. match against Canisius. The Golden Griffins (10-17, 8-9 MAAC) were officially eliminated from postseason contention today with a 3-1 loss at Quinnipiac. Tomorrow's match will be broadcast live on the
Stags Sports Network.
The 2017 MAAC Championship will be held at Alumni Hall from Nov. 17-19. As the top seed in the tournament, the Stags will begin their postseason on Saturday, Nov. 18 in the semifinal round.
