FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After completing the longest road trip of the season this past weekend in Chicago, Fairfield University Volleyball will embark on its shortest trek of the campaign with a jaunt across town to visit Sacred Heart. Wednesday's action from the Pitt Center begins at 6 p.m.
 
Stags Post 1-2 Weekend at Rambler Challenge
This past weekend, the Stags went 1-2 at the Rambler Challenge. Fairfield upended host Loyola Chicago in four sets and was edged, 3-2, by both Milwaukee and Samford. Mayda Garcia earned All-Tournament honors for her performance in the Windy City.
 
"The bottom line is that we were up 2-1 in all three matches. We finished off the Loyola match but didn't finish off the other two and that was simply because of our errors and our inconsistency," Head Coach Todd Kress said. "The lesson we learned is that when we have the opportunity to finish a match, we have to fight together as a team to get it done."
 
Mayda Garcia Named MAAC Player of the Week
After recording the first three double-doubles of her career this past weekend, Mayda Garcia has been selected as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Player of the Week. Garcia led the Stags with 3.29 kills per set and added 3.14 digs per frame in 14 sets of action. She added two service aces and had a hand in six blocks.
 
Fairfield at Sacred Heart
Wednesday, Sept. 6 @ 6 p.m.
Live Video | Live Stats
 
The Sacred Heart Pioneers are 2-4 this season after beginning the campaign with a pair of 1-2 tournament performances at James Madison and Harvard. The Pioneers' wins came over Gardner-Webb and Harvard while taking losses at the hands of Rider, James Madison, American and Stony Brook.
 
"I think Sacred Heart is comparable to the level of competition we're going to face at the top end of the MAAC," said Kress.  "This will be a good barometer to see where we are at heading into the start of conference play next weekend."
 
Liisel Nelis leads the Sacred Heart attack with 3.41 kills per set, following closely by 2016 First Team All-NEC performer Makayla Dole's 3.37 kills per frame. Kiki Robinson has run the offense to a .160 hitting percentage to the tune of 9.04 assists per set. Defensively, Madi Pope has claimed the libero spot as a freshman and has registered 3.26 digs per set. Rianna McNamee leads the effort at the net with a hand in 17 of the Pioneers' 34 team blocks.
 
Sacred Heart went 22-8 last fall, finishing their season in the Northeast Conference Championship Match after posting a 13-1 regular season mark in the NEC. Head Coach Rob Machan is looking to replace a Class of 2017 that included NEC Player of the Year Sarah Krufka, NEC Libero of the Year Ana Gonzalez and Second Team All-NEC middle blocker Allison Riggs.
 
A 3-0 sweep for the Pioneers last season at Alumni Hall snapped Fairfield's eight-match winning streak in the series. The Stags maintain a 12-5 advantage all-time against Sacred Heart.
 
Up Next
This weekend, action then comes to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall for the first time for the Fairfield Invitational. The Stags will host Washington State (5-1) on both nights of the tournament in addition to a Saturday afternoon clash with New Hampshire (1-6). The event features three teams that reached the NCAA postseason in 2016 with the Cougars and America East Champion Wildcats tangling with the host Stags.