FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball capped the first half of the 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) slate as the conference's lone unbeaten team with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Canisius on Sunday afternoon on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. Mayda Garcia and Manuela Nicolini each registered a double-double in the victory.
 
The win extends Fairfield's winning streak to 12 matches as the Stags now stand at 14-4 overall and 9-0 in the MAAC. Fairfield has dropped just one set thus far in conference play and holds a three-match lead in the loss column at the halfway point of the league schedule. The Stags took today's match by set scores of 25-18, 25-23 and 25-18.
 
"We're happy to reach the midway point undefeated, and I feel that our trajectory is still upward as we continue to identify things to work on," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "I thought we did some good things today, but we also kept Canisius in the match with some of our unforced errors and back-to-back errors. We're glad to have swept a pair of good conference opponents this weekend, and we look forward to getting back in the practice gym and continuing to work this week."
 
Garcia's double-double came on 11 kills and 11 digs. All six of her double-doubles have come during MAAC play. Nicolini's team-leading 10th double-double was comprised of 36 assists and 10 digs.
 
Nicolini piloted the Stags to a .228 hitting percentage, with Joelle Battles matching Garcia's 11 kills from the right side. Kaylie Butts had 10 kills on a team-leading .360 hitting percentage from the middle. Laura Seeger added seven finishers, and Luci Albertson sent home three. Rounding out the offense, Nicolini put down a pair from the setter spot and the duo of Julia Kallen and Sonja Radulovic each landed one from the back row.
 
The Stags also excelled from behind the service line with 11 aces. Nicolini, Radulovic, Morgan Doll and Maddy Jerdonek each had two winners, with Garcia, Kallen and Jamie Calandro all serving up one from the end line. The Stags' 11 service aces marked a season high and the most for Fairfield in a three-set match since landing 12 winners in a sweep of then-NEC foe Quinnipiac in 2012.
 
Defensively, Doll headed up the back row at libero with a match-leading 17 digs, joined in double figures by Garcia and Nicolini. At the net, Albertson got piece for three of the Stags' four blocks, and Battles had a hand in a pair of rejections. In total, the MAAC's top defense held Canisius to a .172 hitting percentage.
 
Camila Vazquez led the Canisius (9-12, 6-3 MAAC) offense with eight kills at a .583 clip. Cassidy Ceriani dished out 23 assists for the visitors, and Ashley Kekeisen stepped into the libero spot and finished with 12 digs to share the team high with Ceriani. Vazquez was also a part of four of the Griffs' six blocks.
 
The second half of the MAAC slate begins on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. as the Stags head to Hamden to challenge Quinnipiac. Fairfield swept the Bobcats at Alumni Hall on Sept. 28. Quinnipiac is currently 8-11 overall and 4-6 in the MAAC after splitting its weekend with a 3-1 win over Canisius and a 3-1 loss to Niagara.
 
Action returns to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on the following Wednesday, Oct. 30 as the Stags host Siena (8-10, 3-5 MAAC) at 7 p.m.