FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball begins the second half of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) schedule this Saturday with a 1 p.m. visit to Quinnipiac. The Stags sit in first-place at 9-0 in the MAAC and the midway point of the league slate.
In addition to an unbeaten conference tally, Fairfield is 14-4 overall and began the week as one of eight teams in the nation riding an active winning streak of 12 games or longer. The Stags' next MAAC win would cement their 24th consecutive winning conference record.
Most recently, Fairfield swept visiting Niagara and Canisius at Alumni Hall this past weekend to build a three-match lead in the MAAC standings. Fairfield hit .254 in six sets against the conference's Western New York contingent, led by
Kaylie Butts' 3.33 kills at a .439 clip from the middle.
Manuela Nicolini ran the attack with an even 13.00 assists per stanza.
On the defensive end, the Stags limited their opposition to .113 hitting.
Morgan Doll led the back row with 5.00 digs per frame, and
Luci Albertson had a hand in a team-best six of Fairfield's 10 team blocks.
For the season, Fairfield currently tops the MAAC in seven major statistical categories: hitting percentage (.217), opponent hitting percentage (.157), assists (12.43/set), kills (13.20/set), blocks (2.00/set), service aces (1.75/set) and digs (16.46/set). Individually, seven different Stags rank among the conference's top-10 in at least one statistical category.
After splitting a home weekend with a 3-1 win over Canisius and a 3-1 loss to Niagara, the Quinnipiac Bobcats are currently 8-11 overall and 4-6 in the MAAC. Entering Saturday's match, Quinnipiac ranks seventh in the MAAC with a .166 hitting percentage and second defensively with opponents hitting .176 against them.
Middle hitter Kaleigh Oates currently leads the Bobcats and the MAAC with a .401 hitting percentage, and Maggie Baker is Quinnipiac's most prolific hitter with 2.71 kills per set. Aryanah Diaz and Maria Pansari have shared setting duties as of late, distributing 5.80 and 4.40 assists per frame, respectively.
On the defensive end, Alejandra Rodriguez is second in the MAAC with 4.82 digs per set, and Lydia Jones tops the conference at the net with 0.98 blocks per stanza (43 blocks in 44 sets).
In the Sept. 28 meeting between the two clubs at Alumni Hall, Fairfield took a 3-0 decision by set scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-21.
Mayda Garcia posted a double-double for the Stags with 16 kills and 11 digs, with
Laura Seeger adding 10 kills and
Joelle Battles sending home nine on .368 hitting.
Manuela Nicolini recorded 41 assists leading the attack to a .282 hitting percentage.
Morgan Doll registered a career-high 19 digs and
Kaylie Butts got a piece of five blocks to head a defensive showing that limited Quinnipiac to .140 hitting for the match.
The Bobcats were led by 10 kills from Aryanah Diaz, who neared a triple-double with nine assists and 19 digs. Nicole Migliozzi shared setting responsibilities with Diaz and finished with 15 assists.
Last month's sweep ran Fairfield's advantage to 16-2 in the all-time series. Head Coach
Todd Kress is 12-1 against Quinnipiac in his career with the Stags.
Up next, action returns to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall next Wednesday, Oct. 30 as the Stags host Siena at 7 p.m. The Saints are 8-12 overall and 3-6 in the MAAC entering a home weekend against Saint Peter's and Rider before traveling to Fairfield.
