LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Fairfield University Volleyball has advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship Semifinals with a 3-0 sweep of Quinnipiac this afternoon at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Stags will challenge top-seeded Iona today at 5 p.m. for a spot in tomorrow afternoon's MAAC Championship Match.
In today's action, fourth-seeded Fairfield (14-15) topped the seventh-seeded Bobcats (9-21) by set scores of 26-24, 25-18 and 26-24. The sweep was highlight by the Stags erasing a 24-21 deficit in the first set – fighting off a trio of set-point chances for Quinnipiac as a part of a 5-0 sweep to take the opening frame.
Leading the attack for the Stags were
Luci Albertson and
Julia Kallen with 10 kills apiece. Albertson's 10 kills came on .500 hitting she improved her mark to .304 on the season.
Sydney Williams (.421) and
Mayda Garcia added nine kills apiece and
Laura Seeger was right behind them with eight.
Alexis Rich managed the attack to a .231 hitting percentage, handing out 39 assists. In the process, she has moved up Fairfield's single-season list with 1,123 assists this fall – the 13th-most in a season in overall program history and the fifth-most by a first-year setter.
On the defensive side of the net,
Taylor Rudeen led the Stags with 13 digs from the libero spot. Rich had 12 digs to complete her 11th double-double of the season. Garcia added 11 digs,
Sophia Hosokawa chipped with nine, Kallen had eight and
Sonja Radulovic notched seven digs. Up front, Williams had a hand in a team-best six of the Stags' eight blocks. Seeger was a part of four rejections, with Kallen and Albertson each in on two send-backs.
Quinnipiac was guided by 14 kills from Morgan Sherwin and eight by Lydia Jones (.400). Maria Pansari dished out 38 assists, and Kat Miller led all players with 16 digs.
The Stags' 5 p.m. clash with Iona will be the rubber match in the season series. Each team took a 3-1 decision on its home court during the regular season. Iona earned a double bye to the MAAC Championship Semifinals as the top seed and will be playing their first postseason match tonight against the Stags.
