FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Another strong defensive effort was the driving force as Fairfield University Volleyball ran off its 11th consecutive win on Saturday afternoon with a sweep of visiting Niagara. The Stags limited the Purple Eagles to a .058 hitting percentage, posting 64 digs and six blocks in the three-set encounter.
 
Fairfield's 11th straight victory runs its record to 13-4 overall and 8-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Niagara drops to 6-12 on the campaign with a 5-3 MAAC tally. The Stags took the match on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall by set scores of 25-8, 25-16 and 25-18.
 
"I'm really proud of our collective defensive showing today," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "When everybody buys in and we all fight for each other, I think we're a tough team to beat, and that was the difference in the match today."
 
The back row was led by setter Manuela Nicolini with 15 digs. Morgan Doll recorded 13 from the libero spot, Jamie Calando eclipsed double-digits with 11 and Mayda Garcia added nine. At the net, Nicolini had a hand in four of the Stags' six blocks, with Luci Albertson getting a piece of three and Kaylie Butts playing a role in two rejections.
 
After today's performance, the Stags lead the MAAC defensively with opponents hitting just .157 against them. Fairfield's eight conference foes to date have been held to a .101 clip.
 
On the offensive end, Garcia guided the effort on the outside with 13 kills, swinging at a .250 clip. Butts notched 10 kills on .563 hitting from the middle, and Laura Seeger also had 10 on .391 hitting on the right side. Albertson and Joelle Battles supplemented the attack with six kills apiece, and Sonja Radulovic landed one from the back row.
 
The offense was run at a .283 pace through Nicolini, who finished with 42 assists to increase her MAAC-leading total to 10.52 helpers per set. In the process, she ran her total to 2,505 career assists, becoming the sixth setter to top 2,500 as a Stag. Nicolini is 77 assists away from tying Barbie Thistle to join the all-time top-five in program history.
 
Fairfield supplemented its scoring with another strong effort from the end line, once again led by five aces from Calandro. Calandro leads the MAAC with 0.55 aces per set this fall – serving up a team-high 26 winners in 47 frames of action. Garcia, Doll and Nicolini each landed one ace.
 
Niagara was led by 12 kills from Mary Redl. Jessica Streuer accumulated 16 assists from the setter spot, and Jaycie Roberts led all players with 15 digs for the Purple Eagles.
 
Action continues on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on Sunday at 1 p.m. with a visit from Canisius. The second-place Golden Griffins have lost two consecutive MAAC outings, falling to Siena in five sets last Sunday and dropping a 3-1 decision at Quinnipiac today. Canisius is 6-2 in the MAAC and 9-11 on the campaign overall.