NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Fairfield University Volleyball hit a scorching .343 on Sunday in a 3-0 victory at Niagara in the Stags' regular season finale. Laura Seeger and Joelle Battles led the offensive charge with 13 and 12 kills, respectively.
 
With the win, Fairfield improves to 22-5 and wraps up the MAAC slate at 17-1. The Stags will be the top seed in next weekend's MAAC Championship, which will be held on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall on Nov. 22-24. Niagara (14-16, 12-6 MAAC) will be the fifth-seeded team in the tournament field.
 
Manuela Nicolini managed the potent Stags attack with 48 assists as she guided all five primary Fairfield hitters to individual hitting percentages over .300. In the process, Nicolini climbed to 16th on the Stags' single-season leaderboard as she boosted her 2019 total to 1,068 assists to date.
 
Seeger's 13 kills came on .308 hitting, with Battles' dozen coming at a .333 clip. Kaylie Butts hit .412 en route to nine kills and Luci Albertson notched her nine finishers at a .375 pace. Julia Kallen added eight kills on the outside, swinging at a rate of .389. Nicolini herself dumped over two kills to complement the attack.
 
The Stags added six points from behind the end line as the MAAC's top serving team landed six service aces. Albertson and Morgan Doll each delivered two winners with seniors Sonja Radulovic and Jamie Calandro posting one apiece.
 
On the defensive end, Calandro led all players with 11 digs. Nicolini added nine, Radulovic notched eight and Kallen recorded seven. At the net, Battles had a hand in both of Fairfield's team blocks. The rookie standout paired with Butts for one rejection and Albertson for another send-back.
 
Niagara hit .250 in its home finale, led by nine kills from Caroline Leitch and seven by Jaycie Roberts. Jessica Streuer doled out 24 assists for the Purple Eagles, and Roberts and Streuer shared the team high with seven digs apiece.
 
Fairfield will begin the quest for its fourth AMAC Championship in five seasons in the semifinal round on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. The Stags will meet the winner of the matchup between Niagara and fourth-seeded Marist slated for 8 p.m. on Nov. 22. The other side of the bracket will see third-seeded Rider challenging sixth-seeded Quinnipiac on Friday for the chance to play second-seeded Canisius in Saturday's other semifinal. The 2019 MAAC Championship Match is set for Sunday, Nov. 24 at 2 p.m. All matches will be broadcast by the Stags Sports Network on ESPN+ with J.J. Duke and 2018 MAAC Player of the Year Claire Archibald on the call.