FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Another three-match weekend awaits Fairfield University Volleyball as the Stags head to the Philadelphia suburbs for the Villanova Classic. The Stags will play New Hampshire, Lafayette and host Villanova in a three-day stretch from Sept. 2-4.
 
Fairfield enters the weekend at 1-2 after opening the campaign at the Spartan Invitational. The Stags began the tournament with a 3-1 win over Eastern Michigan before dropping a pair to Louisiana and Michigan State.
 
New Hampshire – Fairfield's opponent on Friday at 4:30 p.m. – cruised to a 4-0 start in its home tournament with victories over Merrimack, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Peter's and Hartford. The Wildcats, who are led by former Rider head coach Christopher Feliciano, went 16-12 last year with a 7-5 tally in the America East.
 
Saturday at 7 p.m. will mark the Stags' first return matchup from 2021 as they tangle with Lafayette. Fairfield took a five-setter from the Leopards last year in a match held across town at Sacred Heart. Lafayette will be opening its season this weekend after a breakout 2021 campaign in which they went 15-10 overall and posted its best-ever Patriot League finish at 12-4.
 
The weekend concludes against host Villanova on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the tournament finale. The Wildcats take to their home court with a 1-2 mark, topping Colgate in five sets before falling to UMBC and host USC at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Villanova was an even 15-15 in 2021 with a 7-11 Big East tally. The Stags are 2-3 against the Wildcats all-time, last earning a win in the series in 1999.
 
After this weekend's action, the Stags open the home slate with five matches in five days at the RecPlex. The run opens on Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. against St. John's followed by meetings with Fairleigh Dickinson, Washington State, High Point and Howard as a part of the Fairfield Invitational.