FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball was on the short end of a 3-0 final to visiting Rider on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on Saturday afternoon.
Luci Albertson paced the Stags with 12 kills on .556 hitting as the Broncs took the match by set scores of 25-21, 25-19 and 25-19.
Albertson's 12 kills were one short of her career high established last month at Quinnipiac and matched this past Friday night at Iona. The sophomore has hit at a .395 clip in Fairfield's 12 conference matches this fall – the best hitting percentage in the MAAC during league play.
"Luci played well offensively and on the block; she continues to work her tail off and get better and better in her sophomore season," said Head Coach
Todd Kress. "But we have a lot that we need to work on as a team, and I think the biggest thing has been the intangibles – we're not fighting defensively, in coverage, or on the block. There's something deep inside ourselves that we have been able to find to be successful over the last few years, but this group hasn't found it yet."
In today's match, Fairfield (9-12, 8-4 MAAC) also got 10 kills from
Mayda Garcia and six off the swing of
Sonja Radulovic.
Laura Seeger came off the bench to chip in with four finishers, and
Sydney Williams and
Kaitlyn Fisher each added one.
Lark Jones also picked up a kill – her first as a Stag – and also scored with her first career block.
Alexis Rich ran the attack, doling out 29 assists along with one kill of her own.
The Stags also scored two points from behind the service ace on aces delivered by Radulovic and
Jamie Calandro.
Defensively,
Taylor Rudeen picked up 13 digs form the libero spot to lead the back row.
Sophia Hosokawa also reached double figures with 10 digs and Garcia just missed a double-double with nine digs alongside her 10 kills. At the net, Albertson had a hand in four of the Stags' eight team blocks. Garcia had a hand in three rejections – including a solo stuff – with Williams and Seeger each playing a part in two send-backs.
Rider (10-9, 6-5 MAAC) earns a split of the season series with the Stags after Fairfield rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Broncs last month in Lawrenceville. Rider was led this afternoon by a match-high 15 kills from Meredith Pellegrino on .364 hitting. Anilee Sher ran the attack with 30 assists, and libero Rachelle Runyon led all players in the back row with 14 digs.
The loss for Fairfield ends the Stags' run of 31 consecutive home wins over MAAC opponents (including postseason and non-conference meetings). That streak tied the conference record established by the Stags with 31 straight wins over MAAC foes at Alumni Hall from 2003-2007.
The Stags' home weekend concludes tomorrow at 1 p.m. with a visit from Saint Peter's. The Peacocks are 6-20 overall and 3-9 in the MAAC following a 3-0 loss today at Quinnipiac. Sunday's match is Fairfield Volleyball's annual "Herd for a Cure" match as a part of Fairfield Athletics' department-wide initiative. T-shirts and raffle tickets will be sold ($10, cash only) and donations will be collected to support the Norma Pfriem Breast Center. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to promote breast cancer awareness.
