FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball traded swings with visiting Michigan State for much of Friday evening's clash on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. However, it was the Spartans who came away with all three frames to take a 3-0 victory on the first day of the annual Fairfield Invitational. Michigan State earned the decision by set scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-22.
 
The Stags stand at 1-6 after tonight's action. Michigan State – an NCAA Quarterfinalist (Elite Eight) last season – improves to 7-1.
 
"Tonight was a step in the right direction," said Head Coach Todd Kress, a six-time MAAC Coach of the Year. "I thought we had unbelievable energy on every point; now we need to execute better at critical times. Once we tighten some of those things up and everybody starts doing their job more consistently, we'll be in a position to compete the rest of the way."
 
Laura Seeger led the Fairfield attack with 10 kills on .563 hitting (10-1-16) on the right side, with Mayda Garcia also sending home 10 finishers. Emily Schillinger and Sydney Williams each added three kills, and Nora Quinn came off the bench in the third set to contribute three kills on four errorless swings (.750) in the final stanza. Alexis Rich managed the attack and distributed 27 assists to go along with one kill of her own.
 
Seeger was also a force from behind the service line with four aces. Julia Kallen also landed an ace in addition to two kills from the rookie.
 
Kallen headed the back row as well, picking up a team-leading 10 digs. Sophia Hosokawa added six digs with Rich and Taylor Rudeen each posting five. At the net, Seeger, Williams and Luci Albertson each had a hand in two of Fairfield's four team blocks.
 
Michigan State was led by 12 kills from Alyssa Chronowski and seven on seven swings for Naya Gros. Elena Shklyar had 28 assists for the Spartans, and Samantha McLean led all players with 11 digs.
 
The match was contested before a crowd of 910 fans, marking the largest regular season volleyball attendance for the Stags at Alumni Hall since win over UConn on Nov. 6, 1999 with 1,018 fans in attendance.
 
"The energy in Alumni Hall was great. Especially for a non-conference, non-championship match, it was one of the best crowds I've ever seen," said Kress. "It was a tremendous atmosphere and we loved seeing all of that red in the stands tonight. We appreciate everybody that came out."
 
Saturday's Fairfield Invitational slate features a total of five matches with the Stags hitting the court against Harvard and Northeastern at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively.
 
"We need to continue to improve each time out and be more consistent as far as cutting down on errors and making better ball-one contact," Kress noted. "But we've set the bar as far as energy and some of the intangibles, and that can be a foundation starting tomorrow as we get ready for MAAC play."
 
The MAAC schedule begins next Saturday, Sept. 15 at Saint Peter's.