FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) volleyball comes to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall for the first time in 2017 as Fairfield University Volleyball hosts Rider and Saint Peter's on Sept. 23-24. First serve for both matches against the conference's New Jersey contingent is slated for 1 p.m. with all of the action set to be broadcast live on the Stags Sports Network.
 
Free Pregame Yoga & Brunch
Prior to Saturday's match, all fans are invited to join instructor Peter Lyons for a free yoga session at 11:30 a.m. in the Alumni Hall lobby followed by complimentary brunch. Fans are encouraged to bring their own yoga mat if they wish.
 
Stags Start MAAC Play at 2-0 with Pair of Road Wins
Last weekend, Fairfield moved to 7-6 overall and started MAAC play at 2-0 with victories at Iona and Manhattan. The Stags rallied from a 2-1 deficit to knock off the Gaels, and closed the weekend with a sweep of the Jaspers at Draddy Gymnasium.
 
"We're fortunate to be where we are at 2-0. We still have a lot to prove, and there are other MAAC teams playing better volleyball than us right now," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "There's a lot of work ahead of us, and we have to be committed to that work to get better down the stretch. We talk about 'scratching and clawing' a lot in this program, and we need to find that again."
 
The attack on opening weekend was guided by 3.88 kills per set from Skyler Day and 2.75 kills per frame off the swing of Kaitlyn Fisher. Manuela Nicolini handed out 10.13 assists per set to pilot the offense to a .182 hitting percentage. In the back row, Taylor Rudeen picked up a team-leading 3.88 digs per set to head a list of five Stags to post at least 2.00 digs per stanza against Iona and Manhattan. Fisher and Luci Albertson each had a hand in nine of the Stags' 16 team blocks.
 
After their 2-0 start, the Stags have won 33 consecutive matches against MAAC foes (including postseason) to boast the third-longest active winning streak in the nation against conference opponents. After a competitive opening weekend, there are already just three remaining unbeaten teams in the MAAC standings with Fairfield joined by Niagara (2-0) and Marist (1-0).
 
"The MAAC is deeper than it was last year," noted Kress. "There's no frontrunner, and I think that there are six or seven teams with a good chance to win it all."
 
Defending Home Court
In the MAAC regular season, the Stags own an all-time record of 141-16 (.898) at Alumni Hall since 1991. Fairfield has gone undefeated at home in the MAAC regular season on 15 occasions, including five 9-0 showings since the conference adopted an 18-match schedule in 2006. The Stags are currently riding a 17-match home winning streak against MAAC competition dating back to the 2015 campaign.
 
Celebrating Milestones
Prior to Saturday's match, Fairfield Volleyball will recognize a pair of recent milestones. In the Sept. 9 win over New Hampshire, Skyler Day eclipsed 1,000 career kills for the Stags. The reigning MAAC Player of the Year has racked up 1,058 kills at Fairfield since 2015.

In that same match against the Wildcats, Todd Kress earned his 400th career victory in 22 seasons as a Division I head coach. Kress has since improved to 403-274 (.595) all-time, highlighted by a program-record 169 wins in eight seasons as the leader of the Stags. He is a record five-time MAAC Coach of the Year (1996, 1997, 1998, 2015, 2016) and a four-time MAAC Champion (1997, 1998, 2015, 2016).
 
Fairfield vs. Rider
Saturday, Sept. 23 @ 1 p.m.
Stags Sports Network | Live Stats
 
The last MAAC team to win a road match at Alumni Hall, Rider comes to Fairfield with a record of 6-7 overall and 1-1 in the conference. The Broncs opened their conference slate at home last weekend with a sweep of Canisius followed by a 3-1 loss to Niagara. In the non-conference season, Rider earned a notable win over Sacred Heart.
 
Hailey Riede leads the Rider attack with 2.78 kills per set (sixth in the MAAC) on .245 hitting (fourth). Jennifer Borio and Savannah Logan have added 2.39 and 2.27 finishers per set, respectively. 2016 MAAC Setter of the Year Veronica Koval has managed the offense to a .153 hitting percentage.
 
Defensively, Emma Aldaya ranks third in the MAAC with 4.28 digs per set and enters the weekend just 11 digs shy of Rider's all-time record. Perry Williams and Evelyn Shanefield have been part of 38 and 32 blocks, respectively, as the Broncs have racked up 79 rejections to hold opponents to a .180 hitting percentage.
 
Fairfield vs. Saint Peter's
Sunday, Sept. 24 @ 1 p.m.
Stags Sports Network | Live Stats
 
Saint Peter's comes to the Nutmeg State seeking their first win of 2017. The Peacocks will visit Quinnipiac on Saturday with a record of 0-13 overall and 0-3 in the MAAC. After falling in straight sets at home to Niagara and Quinnipiac last weekend, Saint Peter's dropped a 3-0 decision to visiting Iona on Wednesday evening. The Stags and Peacocks did not meet any common opponents on their non-conference slates.
 
Alexus Sharp leads the offense from the middle with 2.00 kills per frame. A trio of setters – Wildalys Soto, Carolina Ruiz and Imani Spicer – have all spent time running the attack with Soto's 4.00 assists per set leading the way. Karla Seda guides the back row with 2.70 digs per set, and Sharp's 27 blocks head the defensive effort at the net.
 
Up Next
The Stags are back on the road next weekend for the annual Western New York swing. Fairfield visit Canisius (3-9, 1-1 MAAC) on Saturday, Sept. 30 and heads to Niagara (6-5, 2-0 MAAC) on Sunday, Oct. 1.
 
Action returns to Alumni Hall on the following Saturday, Oct. 7 when the Stags welcome in-state MAAC foe Quinnipiac at 5 p.m. for a rematch of the 2016 MAAC Championship Match.