FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The 2021 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference slate started strong on Saturday afternoon with a clash between the reigning regular season champion Fairfield University Volleyball and the reigning tournament champion Rider Broncs. In the end, the Stags held off the visitors in three tightly-contested sets, completing the sweep by set scores of 29-27, 25-20 and 25-22.
 
With the win, Fairfield improves to 1-0 in the MAAC and evens its record at 6-6 overall. The Broncs see their two-match winning streak snapped, falling to 2-8 on the year with an 0-1 conference tally.
 
"Rider is the defending conference champion and they have almost everybody back, and I certainly expect that they'll be among the teams at the top of the league this year," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "We talked in the locker room that we can't win a conference championship in one day, but we can at least take a step in the right direction. And it's important that we did that today against a very talented opponent."
 
Fairfield was led by a 20-kill performance from KJ Johnson, who overcame several early hitting errors to post a .250 hitting percentage (20-10-40) and added 10 digs to register a double-double. Johnson had nine kills on 10 errorless attempts in the pivotal third set, also notching five digs and a block in the final stanza.
 
"I just told KJ that she's great and to go out and own it," said Kress of Johnson's early struggles. "Don't get inside your head; just swing your way out of it. And her performance in the third set says a lot about her mentality. Even though she wasn't playing up to her highest level early on, to come out and do what she did to help close out the match in the third set speaks volumes about her as an athlete."
 
Joining Johnson with a double-double was setter Manuela Nicolini, who distributed 35 assists while managing the Fairfield attack to a .232 clip. Nicolini completed her double-double with a team-high 13 digs, and chipped in to the scoring with two kills and three blocks.
 
Rounding out the Stags' offense, Joelle Battles had 11 kills from the right side – reaching double figures for the second straight match and the fourth time in 2021. Emily Schillinger added seven kills on the outside, and middle hitters Luci Albertson and Ella Gardiner had six and two kills, respectively.
 
Gardiner also led the defensive effort at the net with a hand in four of Fairfield's seven team blocks. Albertson, Gardiner and Nicolini each got a piece of three rejections and Battles played in a role in one. In the back row, libero Kyla Berg notched 11 digs – also landing a pair of service aces and dishing out five assists – with Georgia Via posting a solid statline as a DS with seven digs, three aces and three assists.
 
Despite the 3-0 final score, the match was not without its dramatic moments. In the first set, Rider erased a 22-16 deficit and fought off five set points – also forcing the Stags to fight off a 25-24 deficit – before Via landed the ace the ended the opening stanza, 29-27. The tenacious Broncs would also keep the pressure on Fairfield in the second and third frames, climbing back from sizeable deficits in both before the Stags put them away.
 
"We all acknowledge that we've struggled down the stretch, and that happens when we start focusing on outcomes instead of continuing to focus on our process," Kress noted. "It was important for us pull out that first set – as well as the second and third when they got tight. All three of those sets could have gone either way, and I was proud that we were able to win them all to take the match in three."
 
The Stags return to the RecPlex tomorrow – Sunday, Sept. 19 – to host visiting Saint Peter's at 1 p.m. The Peacocks are 1-11 overall and 0- 1 in the conference after dropping their MAAC opener this afternoon at Quinnipiac in straight sets. The match will be broadcast live on the Stags Sports Network.
 
Fans who plan to attend Sunday's match are reminded that masks are required for all visitors in all indoor facilities on campus.