FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball extended its winning streak to four matches and remained unbeaten in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with a 3-1 win over Rider on Saturday afternoon on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. The Stags took the match by set scores of 25-17, 11-25, 25-20 and 25-21.
 
Fairfield (8-6, 3-0 MAAC) was led by a double-double performance from Skyler Day as the senior co-captain pounded a match-best 21 kills to go along with 12 digs. Kaitlyn Fisher and Mayda Garcia also reached double figures in kills with 10 apiece. In the middle, Kaylie Butts added five kills and Nora Quinn had four. Sonja Radulovic landed one from the back row to round out the attack.
 
The offense was managed by Manuela Nicolini, who distributed 45 assists and dumped over six kills of her own. In addition to guiding the Stags to a .152 hitting percentage, Nicolini was a force defensively with 11 digs and seven blocks.
 
Taylor Rudeen helmed the back row from the libero spot and notched a match-leading 14 digs, while Jamie Calandro picked up seven as a defensive specialist. At the net, Butts had a hand in four blocks and Quinn was a part of two rejections – supplementing Nicolini's seven stuffs – as the Stags totaled eight team blocks. All told, the defensive effort limited Rider to a .088 hitting percentage.
 
Hailey Riede led Rider (6-8, 1-2 MAAC) with 11 kills. Veronica Koval distributed 25 assists for the Broncs and posted nine digs to match libero Emma Aldaya's team-high output in the back row.
 
In the opening set, the Stags netted the first five points – featuring kills from four different players – and never looked back. The Broncs would not get closer than four points after that opening stretch as Fairfield pulled away for a 25-17 win to take the early lead in the match. Garcia's six kills on nine errorless swings led an attack that hit a blistering .389 in the stanza.
 
Set two saw roles reversed as the Broncs to a 25-11 decision to knot the match at 1-1. An early 7-1 run for Rider was the difference in the frame that saw the visitors hit .478 to Fairfield' .074.
 
The Stags responded in set three, again reeling off a 5-0 run to start the frame and maintaining that lead for the duration. The Broncs would trim the margin to one point this time around, but another 5-1 run for the Stags provided a cushion that Fairfield would ride to a 25-20 victory.
 
The final set was the most competitive of the day, featuring nine ties and three lead changes. The final deadlock came at 21-21 before back-to-back kills from Day and Nicolini staked the Stags to a lead that they would not relinquish. Radulovic's second ace of the day sealed the match as Fairfield took a 25-21 decision to clinch a 3-1 victory.
 
"It was a gutty win on our home court. I was pleased with the way we responded after set two," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "When you play a set like that, it can be hard to regroup, but I thought that we did and finished the match at a pretty high level."
 
"We committed 53 errors, and that's a number that has to come way down," Kress continued. "We're going to continue to work on correcting that, and when we do, I think we'll be in a good place."
 
The Stags are back in action on George Bisacca Court tomorrow to continue MAAC action against visiting Saint Peter's. The Peacocks come to Fairfield at 0-14 overall and 0-4 in the MAAC after a straight-set loss this afternoon at Quinnipiac.
 
Sunday's opening serve from Alumni Hall is slated for 1 p.m. with all of the action broadcast live on the Stags Sports Network.