FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the fourth time in five seasons and the 11th time in program history, Fairfield University Volleyball is the champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Stags knocked off Quinnipiac this afternoon on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall to win the 2019 MAAC Championship by a score of 3-1. After recording a triple-double in the contest, Manuela Nicolini was named the MAAC Championship Most Valuable Player.
 
"After last season where we went through so much in terms of adversity and injuries, this team has shown incredible resiliency throughout the season," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "And resiliency is what carried through the weekend, both rallying back from down 2-0 to Marist yesterday and also today, taking Quinnipiac's best punch in the third set and coming back to close it out. I think their collective energy and how they take care of each other produces that resiliency, and that's a huge part of why we are where we are today."
 
Nicolini posted a gaudy stat line today with 39 assists, 14 digs and a career-high 10 blocks to lock up Championship MVP honors. For the tournament, she averaged 10.22 assists per set while running the Stags to a .231 hitting percentage, also registering 2.44 digs per frame with 16 blocks and three kills of her own in nine sets of work.
 
Nicolini's triple-double was the first by a Stag in the rally scoring era, and the first overall since Kelly Sorensen posted 11 kills, 49 assists and 13 digs in a win over Manhattan in 2000. In racking up her 39 assists today, Nicolini also became the fourth Stag to eclipse 3,000 career assists (3,034) and moved into 11th on the single-season list with 1,160 helpers this fall.
 
Nicolini joins her former teammate Skyler Day (2017) and Corinne Carlson (1999) as the three Stags to win both MAAC Player of the Year and go on to earn MAAC Championship MVP honors. Nicolini was also the MAAC Setter of the Year this season.
 
Alongside Nicolini on the MAAC All-Championship Team were Mayda Garcia and Luci Albertson. Albertson controlled the middle in today's Championship Match, as the junior hammered 13 kills on 18 errorless swings (.722) and had a hand in a team-best 11 blocks, including three solo rejections.
 
Garcia, who pounded 21 kills in Saturday's semifinal win over Marist, completed her second double-double of the tournament and 10th of the fall with 12 kills and 10 digs as well as a pair of service aces.
 
Also contributing to the attack in today's outing were Joelle Battles and Laura Seeger with 10 kills apiece on the right side. Kaylie Butts added five from the middle, Julia Kallen landed two and Nicolini dumped over one to round out the offense.
 
In addition to Garcia's two points from the end line, the Stags also got aces from Kallen, Nicolini and Sonja Radulovic.
 
Fairfield's slew of dominant performances at the net added up to a program rally-scoring era record of 20 blocks. Alongside Albertson's 11 stuffs and Nicolini's 10, Butts had a hand in nine blocks. Seeger got a piece of five rejections and Battles chipped in on two. In the back row, Morgan Doll led all players with 15 digs. Kallen posted nine from the back row and Radulovic had five. In total, the Fairfield defensive effort held Quinnipiac to a .139 hitting percentage.
 
Georgia Tselepi led Quinnipiac (14-16) with 17 kills on .300 hitting and Morgan Sherwin added 10. Aryanah Diaz led a trio of Bobcats' setters with 23 assists and also led the defense with 13 digs. Quinnipiac, which won two matches this weekend as the first six seed to ever reach the MAAC Championship Match, was represented by Alejandra Rodriguez and Olga Zampati on the All-Championship Team.
 
"Credit to Quinnipiac on incredible weekend, making this run as a six seed all the way to the championship match," said Kress of the Bobcats. "And even today, it was a great back-and-forth match. It wasn't always pretty, but it was a fun match to watch."
 
Fairfield (24-5) improves upon its own conference record with its 11th MAAC Championship. The Stags previously hoisted the trophy in five consecutive years from 1997-2001 and then again in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Kress has been on the sidelines for six of those MAAC crowns, eclipsing Siena's Garvey Pierre to set a conference record for a head coach.
 
The win also finished out a 13-0 home schedule for the Stags. The unblemished record marks the fourth time that the Stags have gone unbeaten at Alumni Hall.
 
Fairfield Volleyball will learn the opponent and destination for its 11th NCAA postseason trip on Sunday, Dec. 1 when the entire 64-team bracket is revealed at 8:30 p.m. on ESPNU.