FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A pair of Nutmeg State foes lie ahead for Fairfield University Volleyball this weekend. The Stags will visit Yale at Lee Amphitheater on Friday at 7 p.m. and then challenge Hartford in a neutral-site tilt hosted by Quinnipiac on Burt Kahn Court on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Fairfield will enter the weekend at 1-3 on the season after Sacred Heart came out on top of a back-and-forth encounter on Wednesday night at Alumni Hall. The 3-1 (30-32, 28-30, 28-26, 16-25) contest, which featured 43 ties and 22 lead changes, was the Stags' first match with multiple sets hitting the 30-point plateau since a 3-2 loss (30-28, 13-25, 26-24, 31-33, 13-15) at Fordham on Oct. 29, 2008.
Wednesday's effort was led by double-doubles from rookies
Julia Kallen (13 kills, 14 digs) and
Alexis Rich (46 assists, 11 digs).
Mayda Garcia added a dozen kills for the Stags, and
Taylor Rudeen led the back row with 27 digs.
Through four matches this fall,
Laura Seeger leads the attack with 3.27 kills per frame on .346 hitting, with Kallen and Garcia adding 2.25 and 2.20 kills per set, respectively. Rich has dished out 8.92 assists per stanza in her first outings as Fairfield's starting setter.
Defensively, Rudeen rates second in the MAAC with 4.54 digs per set and
Luci Albertson tops the conference at the net with 1.27 blocks per frame.
Fairfield at Yale
Friday, Aug. 31 @ 7 PM
John J. Lee Amphitheater, New Haven, Conn.
ESPN+ | Live Stats
Yale will open its 2018 campaign on Friday evening, coming off of a 16-8 campaign last fall that ended in an Ivy League co-Championship alongside Princeton. The Bulldogs were tabbed for second place in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll behind the Tigers. Yale's share of the Ancient Eight crown marked a return to the top of the league for the Bulldogs, who had won five straight titles from 2010-14.
Yale's 2018 roster is led by returning Defensive Player of the Year Kate Swanson and Rookie of the Year Kathryn Attar, both First Team All-Ivy honorees. The Bulldogs also welcome back Second Team All-Ivy selections Tristin Kott and Frances Arnautou and All-Ivy Honorable Mention Kelley Wirth.
Fairfield is 7-10 all-time against Yale, with the series renewing this weekend for the first time since 2009. The Stags are 2-5 in the seven prior meetings held inside Lee Amphitheater.
Fairfield vs. Hartford
Saturday, Sept. 1 @ 1 PM
Burt Kahn Court, Hamden, Conn.
Live Stats
Hartford hosted and swept Central Connecticut State on Wednesday evening to improve to 1-2 on the season. The Hawks, who were swept by Boston College and Providence to open their 2018 campaign, will play Sacred Heart on Friday prior to meeting the Stags on Saturday in Hamden.
Hartford's balanced attack this fall has been led by Jenna Bridges, Pauline Modestow and Brittany Braun, all of whom are averaging better than two kills per set. Setter Megan Anderson has guided the offense in all nine sets of work, doling out 8.33 assist per frame. Hartford has been a force at the net, with Bridges and Lacey Zadra each compiling 11 blocks to date.
The Hawks were selected to finish sixth of seven teams in the America East Preseason Poll after a 6-20 showing in the 2017 season.
Fairfield and Hartford will be meeting for the first time since 2000, with the Hawks owning an 11-9 edge in the all-time series. The Stags have won the last eight meetings after Hartford began the series with wins in 11 of the first 12 encounters.
Up Next
After this weekend, the Stags return to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall for the 2018 Fairfield Invitational on Sept. 7-8. The Stags will meet Michigan State, Harvard and Northeastern as a part of the eight-match, five-team tournament.
