JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Fairfield University Volleyball began the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference portion of the 2018 schedule on Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 sweep at Saint Peter's. During the victory, Taylor Rudeen recorded a match-high 21 digs to move into the all-time top 10 in Fairfield history.
 
"We are happy to be back in the win column. Our team defensive effort was solid, and we were aggressive from the end line," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "Our attack errors are still problematic, but an aggressive mindset will go a long way in correcting that going forward."
 
The victory – by set scores of 25-20, 25-19 and 25-21 – extended Fairfield's conference-record winning streak to 52 consecutive triumphs over conference opponents – the longest active streak in the nation. The Stags also built upon MAAC-record streaks of 46 straight regular season conference wins and 22 regular season road conference wins in a row.
 
Rudeen's 21 digs move her past Fairfield Athletics Hall of Famer Joanne Saunders '02 and into 10th all-time with 1,256 digs in her career. The senior libero, who averages a team-best 4.45 digs per set this season, was a Preseason All-MAAC honoree.
 
On the outside, Mayda Garcia and Sonja Radulovic each recorded a double-double. Garcia – the reigning MAAC Player of the Week – posted a match-high 16 kills with 11 digs, while her classmate Radulovic sent home 12 kills with 17 digs.
 
"Sonja was solid at the L2 spot today," Kress noted. "She hit some quality shots and defended well."
 
Also contributing on the attack were Kaitlyn Fisher and Luci Albertson with four kills apiece. Sydney Williams added three finishers on six errorless swings, and the duo of Kaylie Butts and Emily Schillinger each landed one.
 
The attack was run to a .137 hitting percentage by Alexis Rich, who doled out 38 assists in addition to two kills of her own from the setter spot. Rich also landed four service aces and chipped in on defense with eight digs.
 
At the net, Garcia had a hand in all three of Fairfield's team blocks, teaming up with Butts for two rejections and Albertson for one. Sophia Hosokawa supplemented the defensive effort from the back row with six digs.
 
Alexus Sharp led Saint Peter's (2-12, 0-1 MAAC) with eight kills on .438 hitting. Angelee Ng and Wildalys Soto distributed 11 and eight assists, respectively, to manage the offense. Karla Seda led the Peacocks in the back row with 14 digs.
 
Set 1 saw the hosts jump out to a 4-0 lead before Fairfield responded in convincing fashion, winning 17 of the next 22 rallies to build a 17-9 advantage that saw Saint Peter's Head Coach Amable Martinez burn both of his timeouts. The Peacocks slowed the Stags' momentum out of the stoppages, putting together a 12-4 stretch of their own to close the gap to 21-19. Saint Peter's would draw no closer, however, as a Garcia kill and a pair of Peacocks' errors capped the set with the Stags taking a 25-20 decision.
 
The second frame saw Saint Peter's gain the early advantage once again, this time amassing a 10-2 lead. The Stags answered back as they did in the first set, storming all the way back with a 15-6 run to take the lead at 17-16. Fairfield would polish off the stanza, 25-19, to grab a 2-0 edge in the match.
 
After 13 ties and seven lead changes in Set 3, the Stags used consecutive kills from Rich, Garcia and Williams to build a 20-17 cushion that they would not relinquish. Garcia's 16th kill of the day put the finishing touches on a 25-21 win in the set and 3-0 triumph in the match.
 
The Stags will remain in New Jersey this weekend, heading to Lawrenceville for a Sunday clash at Rider. The Broncs swept visiting Quinnipiac today to improve to 5-3 overall and 1-0 in the MAAC. First serve is slated for 1 p.m.