EAST LANSING, Mich. – Four Stags registered double-digit kills as a balanced effort led Fairfield University Volleyball to a 3-1 win over Eastern Michigan on Friday in at the Spartan Invitational hosted by Michigan State. Reigning MAAC Player of the Year
KJ Johnson led the offense with 13 kills and picked up 12 digs to complete a double-double.
Johnson was joined in double digits by
Sara Daniels with a dozen kills in her Fairfield debut, and 11 apiece for
Mikayla Haut – playing in her home state of Michigan for the first time as a Stag – and
Ella Gardiner.
Joelle Battles capped the attack with seven kills from the right side.
"This was a good bounce-back team win after losing a sloppy first set," said Head Coach Todd Kress, who is beginning his 27th season as a head coach and his 13th leading the Stags. "It's always nice to get the first win under our belts so we can stay focused on making the adjustments that will help us get better."
Daniels' 12 kills came on .500 hitting as she committed on one error on her 22 swings. The graduate student also had a hand in eight of Fairfield's 13 team blocks. Gardiner added a .280 mark from the middle and got a piece of four rejections, and Battles played a part in a career-best five send-backs.
The Fairfield attack was managed by
Blakely Montgomery, who distributed 45 assists in her first as the top setter on Kress' depth chart. She also dumped over three kills of her own while running the offense to a .219 hitting percentage.
In the back row,
Morgan Doll donned the libero jersey and led all players with 25 digs with
Kyla Berg, who also dropped in the third kill of her career, registering 11 digs.
To round out the scoring, Montgomery served up three of Fairfield's 11 aces. Johnson, Berg and
Noelle Carey each landed two winners, with Daniels and Doll both delivering one.
"Our middles did a nice job of point scoring and both hit at a very high percentage, which helped open up the court for the rest of our hitters," noted Kress. "Defensively, our effort and intensity were not where they need to be, but I'm confident that will improve starting with two tough matches tomorrow."
The Eagles' Sabrina Gremm led all players with 15 kills, while Krista Blakely and Raeven Chase had 14 and 12, respectively, for EMU.
The Stags' Saturday in East Lansing begins at 10 AM against Louisiana. The Ragin' Cajuns are 1-1 after beating Eastern Michigan in five sets and losing to the host Spartans in five frames on Friday. The Stags' clash with Michigan State is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday as the tournament finale.
