FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball vies for the 13th MAAC Championship in program history this weekend at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The top-seeded Stags begin the postseason on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. against eighth-seeded Niagara.
 
On the Air
The entirety of the 2022 MAAC Championship will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
2022 MAAC Regular Season Champions
Fairfield Volleyball secured its conference-record 21st MAAC Regular Season Championship with a 17-1 league mark this fall as a part of a 23-6 overall tally. The Stags clinched the top seed in the league by three games over second-place Marist, who handed Fairfield its only MAAC loss in five sets on Oct. 12.
 
The Stags now have won four straight MAAC Regular Season Championships, seven of the last eight, and nine of the last 11. Head Coach Todd Kress has been at the helm for 10 of Fairfield's MAAC Regular Season Championships (1996, 1997, 1998, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, spring 2021, 2021, 2022).
 
2021 MAAC Champions
Fairfield last won the MAAC Tournament Championship -- its conference-record 12th tournament crown -- on Nov. 21, 2021 with a 3-0 sweep of Rider at the UHY Center in Loudonville, N.Y. The Stags reached the championship round with a 3-1 win over host Siena and 3-2 comeback win over Canisius. Fairfield advanced to the NCAA Championship to challenge #14 UCLA, serving for the set in both Set 1 and Set 3 but ultimately falling to the Bruins, 3-0.
 
The Stags were also the top seed in the 2020-21 MAAC Championship but withdrew from competition prior to the start of the tournament due to Covid-19 protocols. Fairfield has not lost a match in the MAAC Championship since 2018.
 
All-MAAC HONORS
Two major awards highlighted the MAAC honors earned by the Stags on the heels of their Regular Season Championship. KJ Johnson was tabbed as MAAC Player of the Year and Head Coach Todd Kress was selected by his peers as Coach of the Year.
 
Johnson and Ella Gardiner were also two of the seven members of the All-MAAC First Team. with Allie Elliott and Maya Walker each meriting a spot on the All-Rookie Team.
 
KJ leads the way
KJ Johnson has followed up her 2021 All-America season with another dazzling campaign on the outside. She ranks third in the MAAC with 3.63 kills per frame. Her .278 hitting percentage is sixth overall in the conference and first among outside hitters, and only six players in the nation with as many as Johnson's 910 swings own a higher attack percentage. Defensively, Johnson averages 2.22 digs per set and ranks among the conference's top 10 in blocks with 75 rejections in 93 sets.
 
ELLA-VATING HER GAME
Ella Gardiner picked up All-MAAC First Team honors after ranking second in the MAAC with 1.05 blocks per set. Offensively, she slots fifth in the conference with a .299 hitting percentage on 394 attempts on her way to 1.89 kills per frame. As a unit, the Stags lead the MAAC with 2.52 blocks per set and in opponent hitting percentage at .150.
 
a strong first impression
Fairfield is the only team with multiple MAAC All-Rookie Team selections as Allie Elliott and Maya Walker both garnered a spot among the conference's top first-year players.
 
Elliott has appeared in 53 sets on the outside during her freshman campaign. She averages 1.83 kills and 2.30 digs per set with two double-doubles. She is hitting .228 from the pins and also contributed 12 blocks and eight service aces.
 
Walker is the MAAC leader with 1.19 blocks per set, putting down 74 in her 62 sets of action. She has hit .280 in the middle, bolstered by a scorching .322 against conference foes, on her way to 1.34 kills per stanza.
 
The boss
Todd Kress claimed his ninth MAAC Coach of the Year award to extend his own conference record after guiding Fairfield to the 10 MAAC Regular Season Championship in 13 years under his leadership. The winningest coach in MAAC Volleyball history has won seven MAAC Championships (1997, 1998, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021).
 
Stags in the MAAC Championship
Fairfield will compete in the MAAC Championship for the 27th consecutive season. The Stags have won a conference-best 12 MAAC Championships, claiming five straight from 1997-2001 and winning seven in the last 10 seasons (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021).
 
Head Coach Todd Kress has been at the helm for a conference-record seven MAAC Championships (1997, 1998, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021) between his two tenures leading the Stags.
 
Fairfield has been the tournament's #1 seed in 18 campaigns including this fall, compiling a 31-6 record with 11 championships as the top-ranked team. Fairfield is 12-8 in 20 appearances in the MAAC Championship Final.
 
(ALMOST) PERFECT 'PLEX
The Stags played their home matches in 2021 and 2022 at the Leslie C. Quick Jr. Recreation Complex (RecPlex) during construction of the Leo D. Mahoney Arena, which opens on Nov. 18 for the first of 27 basketball games on the 2022-23 slate.
 
The Stags won 75% of their home outings (21-7) in two seasons at the RecPlex, including a 16-2 mark against MAAC opponents.
 
ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
If the Stags advance past Niagara, they will meet the winner of the Canisius/Siena matchup on Friday at noon.

The other side of the bracket consists of Marist vs. Rider and Iona vs. Quinnipiac in the quarterfinal round.
 
The 2022 MAAC Championship will be decided at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.