2017 Fairfield Volleyball NCAA Postseason Guide (PDF)
Interactive Bracket (NCAA.com)

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the second time in the past three seasons, Fairfield University Volleyball will travel to the University of Texas for the NCAA Championship First Round. The Stags and host Longhorns will clash on Friday, Dec. 1 from Gregory Gym in Austin. First serve will air live on the Longhorn Network at 8 p.m. (ET).
 
In addition airing on ESPN's Longhorn Network, Friday's action will be available via WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Streaming access is limited to those with a Longhorn Network subscription. Click here for subscription information.
 
Fairfield (25-6) brings a 21-match winning streak to the national stage on the heels of its third consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship. The 2017 crown is also the conference-record 10th MAAC Championship in program history. Head Coach Todd Kress has been at the helm for five MAAC Championships, tying Siena's Garvey Pierre for the most titles by a head coach. Fairfield was unbeaten in the MAAC regular season (18-0) for the second consecutive campaign and has won 51 straight matches against conference opponents – the longest active streak in the nation.
 
Fairfield has been led by 2017 MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Championship MVP Skyler Day. Day led the MAAC with 3.80 kills per set as an outside hitter, adding 2.76 digs per frame to the defensive effort. The senior co-captain fills out her statline with 19 service aces and 24 blocks in an even 100 sets of action.
 
Also on the outside, the Stags have been bolstered by Second Team All-MAAC performer and senior co-captain Megan Theiller. Theiller has returned from a preseason injury to appear in the last 16 matches – all wins for the Stags – averaging 3.02 kills and 3.71 digs per set.
 
A pair of MAAC All-Rookie Team selections lead the effort in the middle. Luci Albertson, who was also named to the MAAC All-Championship Team, slots seventh in the MAAC with a .285 hitting percentage and fifth in the conference with 0.91 blocks per set (68 total). Kaylie Butts has posted a .241 hitting percentage and 0.91 blocks per stanza, both good for 10th in the conference.
 
Supplementing the attack on the right side are Mayda Garcia and Kaitlyn Fisher with 2.59 and 2.16 kills per set, respectively. The duo also contributes at the net with a combined 61 blocks between them.
 
The offense is managed by Manuela Nicolini, the 2017 MAAC Setter of the Year. The sophomore runs the attack to a conference-best .205 hitting percentage, also leading the MAAC with 10.50 assists per set. Nicolini has dumped over 72 kills of her own on .366 hitting and fuels the defense with 2.41 digs per set and a team-best 87 total blocks.
 
Despite missing two months of action due to injury, senior co-captain Sydney Buckley has helped run the offense from the setter spot in 16 sets, handing out 4.44 assists per frame with 1.12 digs per set in the back row. Buckley and Nicolini are both ranked among Fairfield's all-time top 10 in career assists.
 
In the back row, Taylor Rudeen has had one of the most prolific seasons out of the libero spot in program history with 491 digs. Her average of 4.50 digs per frame ranks third in the MAAC. Sonja Radulovic has also provided a spark in the back row with 2.39 digs per set as Fairfield's defense has limited opponents to a .141 hitting percentage – the fourth-best defensive mark in the nation.
 
Seven of 13 Stags on the current roster are making their second trip to Texas, having also visited the Longhorns – an eventual National Finalist – for the 2015 NCAA Championship First Round. The Stags were swept 3-0 by the hosts to wrap up that season at 21-10.
 
The sixth-seeded team in the tournament and #2 nationally-ranked team in the AVCA Coaches Poll, the Texas Longhorns are 24-2 this fall after winning the Big 12 Championship with an unblemished 16-0 conference record. The Longhorns are led by Big 12 Player of the Year Chiaka Ogbogu. The senior also added her fourth First Team All-Big 12 nod after ranking second in the nation in blocks with 1.74 rejections per set. She is also among the national leaders with a conference-best .389 hitting percentage on the offensive end. Ebony Nwanebu, Lexi Sun and Micaya White joined Ogbogu on the All-Big 12 First Team, with Cat McCoy and Ashley Shook both claiming spots on the All-Big 12 Scond Team.
 
Texas has reached the Final Four in five consecutive seasons, highlighted by winning the 2012 National Championship.
 
The opposite side of the bracket will feature NC State and Oregon State squaring off at 5:30 p.m. (ET) in Friday's first match from Austin. The winners will meet on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m. (ET) for a berth in the regional rounds (Dec. 8-9) to be hosted by the highest-seeded advancing team in each bracket.