FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball secured the outright MAAC Regular Season Championship and the top seed in the upcoming MAAC Championship with a 3-1 win over Rider on Saturday on George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall.
The win also stakes Fairfield to its 15th 20-win season in program history, all since 1996. Head Coach
Todd Kress has been on the sidelines for seven of those 20-win campaigns, all of which included a MAAC Regular Season Championship. Fairfield is now 20-4 and 15-0 in the MAAC as today's victory extended the Stags' winning streak to 18 consecutive matches.
Rider falls to 13-14 on the year with 10-5 league mark. The Broncs are tied for second place with Marist and Niagara, while Canisius sits one match behind that pack at 9-6.
"I'm proud of how we responded after a second set where we didn't play our best. We stayed in defensive system, served well, and Manuela made great decisions down the stretch," said Kress. "We played very clean in the third and fourth sets, which was a great way to come back from a sloppy and error-filled second set."
After the Stags took the first set by a count of 25-15, Rider claimed a 25-20 second frame before Fairfield responded with back-to-back 25-13 and 25-12 stanzas to close out the contest.
Manuela Nicolini had a hand in the Stags' success on several fronts this afternoon. The Fairfield setter ran the attack to a .294 clip on the back of 42 assists. She also picked up 13 digs to register her team-leading 15th double-double of the campaign and tied a personal career best with seven blocks.
Three Stags reached double figures in kills with
Mayda Garcia and
Joelle Battles sharing the team high with 11 finishers apiece.
Kaylie Butts added 10 from the middle and
Luci Albertson chipped in an efficient five kills on .571 hitting (5-1-7). To round out the offense,
Julia Kallen and
Laura Seeger each picked up four kills.
Fairfield continued to serve tough, following up Wednesday's 15 ace showing against Marist with 10 winners today against the Broncs.
Morgan Doll was responsible for three service aces, with Garcia, Nicolini and
Jamie Calandro each scoring twice for the end line. Radulovic capped the effort with one ace. The Stags lead the MAAC this fall with 157 aces and an average of 1.80 per frame.
Leading the back row was Radulovic with 14 digs, while Nicolini and Doll each had 13. At the net, Fairfield posted a season-best 15 blocks, with Nicolini and Albertson each getting a piece of seven. Butts played a role in six rejections and Seeger had a hand in five Fairfield send-backs. The Stags' defensive performance held Rider to a .029 hitting percentage.
Rider rookie standout Morgan Romano led all players with 15 kills, limited to a .140 hitting percentage by the Stags. Anilee Sher doled out 34 assists running the Rider offense, and libero Rachelle Runyon led the Broncs' defense with 22 digs.
Tomorrow's MAAC action brings Saint Peter's (3-25, 1-15) to Alumni Hall for the final home match of the regular season. Fairfield Volleyball will honor it four seniors – Calandro, Garcia, Nicolini and Radulovic – prior to the 1 p.m. first serve.
The regular season will wrap up with the MAAC's Western New York swing as the Stags visit Canisius and Niagara on Nov. 16-17. The 2019 MAAC Championship will be held at Alumni Hall on Nov. 22-24. As the tournament's top seed, the Stags will first take to George Bisacca Court in the semifinal round on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.
