FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball erased a 2-0 deficit to knock off fourth-seeded Marist, 3-2, in the 2019 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Semifinals on Saturday afternoon on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall. All-MAAC Second Team honoree Mayda Garcia led the comeback effort with 21 kills, including 14 over the final three frames.
 
The Stags will play Quinnipiac, who defeated Canisius in another five-set clash, in the 2019 MAAC Championship Match on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Alumni Hall. Fairfield swept the season series from Quinnipiac and will see the Bobcats in the postseason for the third time in the last four seasons – a run that began with the 2016 MAAC Championship won by the Stags at Alumni Hall.
 
After today's win, Fairfield improves to 23-5. The top-seeded Stags will be playing in the MAAC Championship Match for the 19th time, in search of the program's 11th title. Marist ends its campaign with a record of 15-15. Fairfield took the match by set scores of 20-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-14 and 25-11.
 
"I thought Marist played incredibly well. They came out with a definitive game plan and executed it to perfection over the first two sets," said Head Coach Todd Kress, who was recognized by his peers on Thursday as the MAAC Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his career. "We found our footing and squeaked out the third set, then we played our best volleyball of the day in the fourth."
 
"And of course, anything can happen in a fifth set," Kress continued. "So we just tried to remain the aggressor and do whatever it takes to get the win. This match was as even as it gets, and you hate for somebody to have to lose – especially to end their season – but I'm proud that we were able to find a way to pull it out."
 
Garcia's 21 kills led a Fairfield attack that racked up 61 finishers in total, as the Stags hit .236 as a unit. All-MAAC First Team pick Joelle Battles and Laura Seeger added 13 and 12 kills, respectively, from the right side, and All-MAAC Second Team performer Kaylie Butts led the middle with nine kills on .389 hitting. Luci Albertson supplemented the offense with four kills, and Manuela Nicolini picked up a pair from the setter spot. Nicolini – the MAAC's first-ever Player and Setter of the Year – distributed 53 assists for the Stags.
 
The Stags also picked up six point from the serving game. Sonja Radulovic led that effort with three winners, including two in the fifth frame. Julia Kallen served up a pair from the end line and Albertson landed one.
 
Defensively, libero Morgan Doll paced the Fairfield back row with 21 digs. Garcia had 13 digs to round out her ninth double-double of the campaign, and her senior classmate Radulovic and Nicolini added eight digs apiece. At the net, Fairfield racked up 11 team blocks. Butts and Nicolini each got a piece of six send-backs, while Albertson had a hand in four rejections.
 
"Mayda was off during the first two sets but was a huge part of what we did during the comeback," said Kress of his senior outside hitter. "Seeger had some incredible swings at big moments, Sonja came off the bench and scored from the end line for us – it was truly a team win."
 
Marist was led by its All-MAAC First Team standout Megan Fergus, who had 28 kills on .359 and cappe a double-double with 11 digs in her collegiate finale. Nikki DeSerpa added 18 kills for the Red Foxes, who hit .199 as a unit this afternoon. McKinley Fox dished out 55 assists for Marist, and libero Sophia Theriot led all players with 26 digs.
 
"The crowd was tremendous on both sides," said Kress of the electric playoff atmosphere inside Alumni Hall. "For us, our fans were a huge boost – they never doubted us and didn't allow us to doubt ourselves. We hope to see that same energy and support ten-fold on Sunday for the big one."
 
First serve in the 2019 MAAC Championship Match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tickets are on sale at MAACSports.com/Tickets and at the door. All Fairfield students will receive free admission with a StagCard.

The match will also be broadcast live by the Stags Sports Network on ESPN+ with J.J. Duke and Claire Archibald behind the microphone.