FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball begins the second half of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) schedule this weekend with trips to Iona and Manhattan. The Stags visit the first-place Gaels on Friday evening before wrapping up the Empire State trek on Sunday afternoon against the Jaspers.
 
Fairfield defeated both Iona and Manhattan in September as a part of a 7-2 record in the first round of MAAC play (8-10 overall). Most recently, the Stags visited Canisius and Niagara and came out on the short side of a pair of 3-0 decisions. The losses ended Fairfield's 58-match winning streak against MAAC foes – a conference record and the longest active win streak of its kind in the nation. The streak included three straight MAAC Championships, highlighted by back-to-back 18-0 regular season campaigns in 2016 and 2017.
 
"It's not too hard to move on from the winning streak, because I don't know for sure that it was ever in the forefront of our minds at all," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "I don't think anybody in our locker room was upset that the streak ended last weekend; they were upset at how we played."
 
Luci Albertson led the attack in Western New York with 2.17 kills per set on .310 hitting. Albertson is hitting a scorching .438 over her last five outings to fortify the middle of the Stags' rotation. Mayda Garcia was Fairfield's most prolific hitter against the Golden Griffins and Purple Eagles, sending home 2.83 kills per stanza. Alexis Rich doled out 10.00 assists to guide the offense.
 
Defensively, Taylor Rudeen continued her strong senior campaign at the libero spot with 5.33 digs per frame over the weekend. Sophia Hosokawa emerged as another solid passer in the back row with 20 digs in six sets of action up in Buffalo.
 
Stags at Iona
Friday, Oct. 12 @ 7 p.m.
ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
Iona welcomes the Stags to New Rochelle boasting a record of 9-5 on the season with a 7-1 MAAC tally – the Sept. 23 loss at Alumni Hall is currently the only blemish on the Gaels' conference slate. Iona has won five straight since that match, most recently topping Marist, 3-1, in Poughkeepsie last Sunday.
 
Fairfield won the first meeting by a count of 3-1 (26-24, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22), led by 21 kills off the swing of Mayda Garcia. Sonja Radulovic added six finishers and Alexis Rich managed the attack with 47 assists. Taylor Rudeen led all players in the back row with 26 digs.
 
For Iona, Jamie Smith guided the offense with 15 kills. MAAC Preseason co-Player of the Year Claire Archibald contributed 12 kills but was limited to a .000 hitting percentage with 12 errors among her 42 total swings. Emma Rose dished out 42 assists for the Gaels, and Jessica Paolucci picked up 25 digs from the libero spot in the lineup.
 
"We executed our game plan very well last time against Iona," Kress noted. "We served and passed well, kept them out of system and contained Claire Archibald, who is one of the top players in the conference."
 
Kress continued, "Even though we're only at the halfway point of the conference season and there's a lot of volleyball left to be played, this is a big match as far as the winner being in a good position to be in control the rest of the way."
 
Stags at Manhattan
Sunday, Oct. 14 @ 1 p.m.
Jasper Sports Network | Live Stats
 
Coming off of their first win of the season, the Jaspers are currently 1-18 overall and 1-7 in the MAAC after sweeping Siena this past Sunday. Manhattan will host St. Francis Brooklyn on Wednesday and Quinnipiac on Saturday before challenging the Stags in Riverdale.
 
The first meeting saw Fairfield earn a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-17, 25-14) on Sept. 22 led by a double-double (14 kills, 10 digs) from Sonja Radulovic. Emily Schillinger pitched in with 11 kills as the attack hit .261 on the heels of 32 assists from Alexi Rich. The Stags also racked up nine points from the serving game, including seven aces landed by Luci Albertson.
 
Vivian Donovan led Manhattan against the Stags with seven kills and three aces. Alyssa Rehrer doled out 17 assists and notched a team-leading 10 digs in the three-setter.
 
Up Next
After this weekend, the Stags will play their final seven regular season matches in the state of Connecticut – six on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall and the lone remaining road contest at Quinnipiac. The stretch begins with visits from Rider and Saint Peter's on Oct. 20-21. First serve in both outings is slated for 1 p.m.