FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball recorded its 17th consecutive victory on Wednesday evening, defeating visiting Siena to lock up the top seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and sole ownership of the 2017 MAAC Regular Season Championship. The Stags downed the Saints by set scores of 25-18, 25-14 and 25-18 to remain unbeaten at 16-0 in the MAAC and move to 21-6 overall.
 
The regular season crown in Fairfield's third straight and the program's 17th over the last 22 campaigns. After wrapping up the regular season this coming weekend, the Stags will host the 2017 MAAC Championship on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on Nov. 17-19. As the tournament's top seed, Fairfield will begin its postseason in the semifinal round on Nov. 18.
 
In tonight's action, Skyler Day posted 12 kills to pace 10 different Stags to record at least one finisher. Megan Theiller added eight, Kaylie Butts had five, Mayda Garcia slammed home four and the trio of Luci Albertson, Kaitlyn Fisher and Manuela Nicolini each landed two. Sonja Radulovic, Taylor Rudeen and Nora Quinn all dropped in one kill to round out the balanced attack.
 
Nicolini ran the offense to a .200 clip, distributing 27 assists. In the process, Nicolini became the eighth different Stag to eclipse 1,000 assists in a single season. After tonight's effort, she stands at 1,003 helpers in her sophomore campaign. Sydney Buckley completed tonight's match in the setter spot and dished out four assists.
 
In the back row, Rudeen led all players with 15 digs at libero. Theiller added 14 digs and Day contributed defensively with seven. Albertson led the way at the net with four blocks – including one solo stuff – as the Stags amassed six total rejections. Fisher and Theiller each had a hand in two blocks as the Fairfield defense limited Siena to a .061 team hitting percentage.
 
The Stags also notched seven points from behind the service line. Nicolini served up a pair of aces, while Albertson, Theiller, Radulovic, Rudeen and Jamie Calandro each dropped in one winner.
 
"This was a quality win based on the fact that Siena was playing for a chance to reach the postseason, so we knew they would come in scratching and clawing, and I thought we did a solid job handling their offense and keeping them out of system from the end line," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "It was also good to get everybody on the court to get our competitive legs under us heading into the weekend."
 
Samantha Pethokoukis led Siena (6-21, 6-10 MAAC) with 10 kills on .474 hitting. Jessica Eblin handed out 20 assists for the Saints, and Jojo Ishida recorded a team-leading 12 digs. Tonight's loss officially eliminated Siena from postseason contention.
 
The Stags conclude the regular season this weekend at home against Niagara and Canisius on Nov. 11-12. The Purple Eagles (17-8, 13-3 MAAC) are locked into the second seed in the MAAC Championship while the Golden Griffins (10-16, 8-8 MAAC) are one of four teams that will entire the final weekend of the regular season vying for the three unclaimed postseason berths.
 
The Stags will celebrate Senior Day prior to Sunday's match. Both 1 p.m. contests will be broadcast on the Stags Sports Network.