JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Fairfield University Volleyball started a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference road weekend in New Jersey with a 3-0 sweep of host Saint Peter's on Saturday at the Yanitelli Center.
Blakely Montgomery was all over the box score for the Stags, running the attack to a .344 hitting percentage while posting 27 assists, five kills, eight digs, one block and one service ace.
With the result, the Stags rebound from their first MAAC loss on Wednesday to Marist, improving to 8-1 in the conference as a part of a 14-6 overall tally. Saint Peter's remains in search of its first win of 2022, dropping to 0-22 on the season and 0-9 in league play.
Eight Stags contribute to the Fairfield's 41 kills and .344 attacking clip.
KJ Johnson led the way with 11 kills on .360 hitting. In the middle,
Sara Daniels added eight kills with
Maya Walker posting six on errorless swings and
Ella Gardiner landed four on 12 attempts without a miscue.
Mikayla Haut put down three kills in her two sets of work, with
Nya Jones and
Allie Elliott each appearing in one frame and notching two kills apiece.
"We had a balanced attack offensively today. It was important to get our middles and opposites involved in our transition offense," said Head Coach
Todd Kress. "We still have a number of things to improve upon going into tomorrow and the second half of MAAC play, but I'm confident in this group to stay committed to getting better and to make the necessary changes."
In addition to Montgomery's 27 assists,
Noelle Carey doled out four helpers donning the libero jersey. The Stags' .344 hitting percentage marks the sixth time overall and fifth during conference play that Fairfield swung over .300 as a team.
Defensively, Carey led all players with 17 digs while Montgomery picked up eight, Johnson had seven and
Morgan Doll registered five. The defensive effort at the net was led by Gardner with a hand in three of the Stags' four blocks. Fairfield limited Saint Peter's to a .064 hitting percentage for the contest.
The Peacocks were led by six kills from Mackenzie Tucker. Lillian Konrad dished 12 assists for the hosts, and Sydney Kuzma had a team-high 13 digs.
The Stags round out their visit to the MAAC's New Jersey contingent tomorrow – Sunday, Oct. 16 – with a 1 p.m. match at Rider in the first meeting of the two squads since the 2021 MAAC Championship Match. The Broncs are 5-14 overall and 3-6 in the MAAC following a 3-0 loss to Quinnipiac this afternoon in Lawrenceville.
