FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball begins the 2017 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) schedule this weekend with back-to-back trips to the Empire State. The Stags will make the short trip down I-95 to Iona on Saturday, Sept. 16 and then visit Draddy Gym to tangle with Manhattan on Sunday, Sept. 17. First serve in both contests is slated for 1 p.m.
 
The Stags emerged from one of the more difficult non-conference schedules in program history with a record of 5-6. Fairfield played five matches against teams from major conferences and also competed in four contests against 2016 NCAA postseason qualifiers to prepare for the MAAC portion of the campaign.
 
Highlighting the season to date, Fairfield defeated an Atlantic Coast Conference team (Boston College) and a Big East team (St. John's) in the same season for the first time since 2000 (Clemson, West Virginia, UConn). Prior to this fall, the Stags had never won true road matches against representatives of both of those conferences in the same season.
 
"We were positioned at the beginning of the non-conference season with a great schedule ahead of us to look to make a move on the national level. Injuries might have hindered that a bit, but on the other hand I'm very satisfied with how our season has played out and the experience that we've gained at a number of key positions," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "Many of our younger players gained experience and confidence that will help us down the stretch in October and November."
 
To date, the Stags share the MAAC lead with Rider at five non-conference wins. Fairfield paces the conference in kills per set (11.74) and assists per set (11.42) while ranking second in blocks per frame (1.88) and opponent hitting percentage (.190). The Stags are third in the conference with a .149 hitting percentage and 15.40 digs per set.
 
Individually, reigning MAAC Player of the Year Skyler Day leads the conference with 3.24 kills per set. Day recorded her 1,000th kill as a Stag in last weekend's home win over four-time defending America East Champion New Hampshire.
 
Mayda Garcia slots fifth in the MAAC with 2.98 kills per set and Sonja Radulovic adds 1.63 kills per frame. The duo has posted three double-doubles apiece while sliding into starting roles on the outside.
 
"I couldn't ask for more than what Mayda and Sonja have given the team this season," said Kress of his pair of sophomore outside hitters. "After stepping up as a middle last year, Mayda is playing out of her main position (right side) again and doing a great job. And Sonja has been steady in the back row as well as up front. She had probably her best match at Fairfield against a tough Pac-12 team in Washington State last Friday night."
 
Kaitlyn Fisher supplements the attack on the right side to the tune of 1.94 kills per frame to go along with 11 blocks on the defensive end. Fisher set a new career high with 16 kills in last Saturday's victory over New Hampshire and added nine finishers in the Stags' comeback win at St. John's earlier this week.
 
Two freshmen and two juniors have combined to helm the middle for Fairfield. Kaylie Butts has led that quartet offensively with 1.72 kills per set on .206 hitting in her rookie campaign. She has also had a hand in 32 of Fairfield's 81 team blocks. Fellow freshman Luci Albertson has played 26 sets in the middle, contributing 22 kills and 15 rejections. Junior Nora Quinn currently leads the MAAC with 1.03 blocks per set (32 in 31 frames) and classmate Sydney Williams has returned from injury to add four kills and a pair of send-backs.
 
The attack has been managed from the setter position by Manuela Nicolini. The sophomore leads the MAAC with 9.26 assists per set while adding 18 kills of her own and chipping in on defense with 2.28 digs per stanza and 31 blocks.
 
In the back row, Taylor Rudeen has donned the libero jersey for all 43 sets of action to date. She ranks fourth in the MAAC with a team-leading 4.23 digs per set while also adding 1.02 assists per frame and eight service aces. Rudeen neared a double-double with 22 digs and a career-best nine assists in the win over New Hampshire. Jamie Calandro adds 1.06 digs per set and has dropped in six service aces as a defensive specialist.
 
"Right now, we are working on fine tuning a number of things, paying attention to very specific details," said Kress. "I think this is a team that is going to peak late, and that's fine with me."
 
Fairfield enters the 2017 MAAC slate as two-time defending conference champion and winner of four of the last five MAAC titles. The Stags and Siena are currently tied for the conference record with nine MAAC Championships apiece. After posting an 18-0 MAAC record en route to the 2016 MAAC Championship, Fairfield carries an active streak of 31 consecutive wins against MAAC opponents into the fall of 2017. That streak stands as the third-longest active run in the nation against conference foes, trailing the 42-game streak by Dayton against the Atlantic-10 and a 38-game stretch for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the Southland Conference.
 
"We discuss the fact that (MAAC) teams may be gunning for us, but we don't focus on it," Kress said. "We prepare the same way no matter who we're playing, and I think that has been a big reason for our success."
 
Fairfield at Iona
Saturday, Sept. 16 @ 1 p.m.
Iona Insider | Live Stats
 
Selected to finish 10th in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Iona will begin conference play with a record of 2-8. The Gaels posted wins over NJIT and Hartford during the non-league slate, while their losses include LSU, Syracuse, UConn and Sacred Heart. Fairfield swept the home-and-home series with Iona in 2016 to improve to 40-14 all-time against the Gaels.
 
Claire Archibald leads the Iona scoring efforts, ranking second in the MAAC in both kills per set (3.21) and aces per set (0.55) and also leads the back row with 2.21 digs per stanza. Emma Rose runs the offense with 7.41 assists per frame. As a unit, Iona is hitting .139 with opponents swinging at a .254 clip against them.
 
Fairfield at Manhattan
Sunday, Sept. 17 @ 1 p.m.
Jasper Sports Network | Live Stats
 
The Manhattan Jaspers, who host Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon, are in search of their first win of the season after an 0-11 start to the campaign. Notable opponents for the Jaspers on the non-conference slate include Fordham, Holy Cross and Stony Brook. Fairfield two wins over Manhattan last fall extended their winning streak to six matches and moved the tally in the all-time series to 48-9.
 
Rookie Erin Hoener has paced the Jaspers with 2.00 kills per set on a MAAC-best .262 hitting, while Sandra Lozanova has been their most prolific hitter with 2.48 kills per frame. Zoe Lindsey and Taylor Hasley have shared setting duties to the tune of 5.77 and 4.41 assists per set, respectively. Defensively, Alyssa Rehrer rates second in the conference with 4.78 digs per stanza, and Hoener heads the effort at the net with 0.86 blocks per set. Collectively, Manhattan owns a .133 hitting percentage with opponents posting a .243 mark.
 
Up Next
Conference action comes to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall next weekend for a visit from MAAC Volleyball's New Jersey contingent – Rider and Saint Peter's – on Sept. 23-24. Both matches will be broadcast live on the Stags Sports Network.