FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball solidified its grip on first place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference on Sunday at the RecPlex with 3-0 of second-place Iona. Ella Gardiner led a balanced Fairfield attack with 10 kills on 15 errorless swings as the Stags finished off the Gaels by set scores of 25-16, 25-22 and 25-15.
 
With the victory, the Stags improve to 7-0 in the MAAC as part of a 13-5 overall record. Iona drops to 12-7 overall and 7-2 in the conference, joining Marist and Canisius as the MAAC's three two-loss teams.
 
"Of all of our conference matches thus far, this is the one where we played for each other and fought for each other the most," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "I love that even down a significant player today in Blakely Montgomery – who has been one of our MVPs this year –we handled a very good opponent in straight sets. That's a testament to who our team is and what we're all about."
 
Gardiner's 10 kills on .667 hitting paced the Stags to a .287 clip as a unit. The Stags' attack also featured nine and seven kills, respectively, from Allie Elliott and KJ Johnson on the outside. Sabria Cooper added six kills, Sara Daniels had four and Maya Walker put down three. Abby Jandro dumped over one from the setter spot to round out the offense.
 
Jandro and Maddy Jerdonek shared setting duties in Montgomery's absence for the second straight day. Jerdonek distributed a team-best 20 assists with Jandro adding 11. Kyla Berg also racked up five helpers as the Fairfield libero.
 
The cap the scoring, Daniels, Jerdonek and Johnson each landed one service ace.
 
In the back row, Berg's 12 digs led the way, with Elliott posting nine and six apiece coming from Johnson and Jandro. The defensive effort at the net saw Daniels get a piece of six of the Stags' 10 team blocks. Gardiner had a hand in five rejections and Walker was a part of four as the Fairfield defense limited Iona to a .051 hitting percentage.
 
The Gaels were paced by six kills apiece from Greta Stjade and Mackenzie Wiggins. Tamara Pichardo led a trio of Iona setters with 13 digs, and Hope Matschner – the nation's leader in digs and digs per set – recorded a match-high 17 from the back row.
 
The Stags wrap up their four-match homestand this Wednesday, Oct. 12 with a 7 p.m. visit from Marist. The Red Foxes, who Fairfield swept in Poughkeepsie on Sept. 24, are currently 10-8 overall and 6-2 in the MAAC after most recently dropping a 3-1 decision to Siena at home on Saturday.