BUFFALO, N.Y. – KJ Johnson put down 15 kills and all five primary hitters swung at a clip over .400 as Fairfield University Volleyball swept host Canisius, 3-0, in the 2022 MAAC opener on Saturday in Buffalo. Blakely Montgomery dished out 33 assists to guide the Stags to a season-high .402 hitting percentage.
 
"It's always good to start conference play with a win," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "Blake ran a very balanced offense to contribute to our .402 hitting percentage. We had a solid week of practice before hitting the road, and tomorrow is another opportunity to implement some of those disciplines that we've been focusing on."
 
With the win, the Stags improve to 7-5 overall and start MAAC play at 1-0. The Griffs fall to 2-8 on the year with an 0-1 conference tally.
 
Johnson's 15 kills came on .406 hitting for the reigning MAAC Player of the Year. She fell just short of a double-double with nine digs and also contributed to the scoring with two aces and a pair of block assists. In the middle, Ella Gardiner added nine kills at a .412 clip and Sara Daniels had five kills on 11 errorless swings for a .455 percentage.
 
Mikayla Haut pitched in seven kills on .429 hitting at the pins, and Sabria Cooper racked up eight kills without an error to notch a .667 percentage over her 12 attempts from the right side.
 
Rounding out the attack, Allie Elliott had two kills, and Montgomery dumped over two from the setter spot.
 
Defensively, Kyla Berg led the effort with 20 digs donning the libero jersey. In addition to Johnson's nine digs, Montgomery notched eight and Haut posted seven. At the net, Johnson and Montgomery each got a piece of two blocks, with Daniels and Gardiner both playing a part in one rejection. All told, the Stags limited Canisius to a .200 hitting percentage.
 
The Griffs were led by 15 kills from Taylor Baldwin and seven by Ella Loussia. Ella Bourque dished out 29 assists for Canisius, and Bree Long had a team-leading 17 digs.
 
The Stags cap the MAAC's Western New York weekend tomorrow at Niagara. First serve from the Gallagher Center is slated for 1 p.m.
 
The Purple Eagles, who host Quinnipiac this afternoon, entered their MAAC slate with a record of 2-7 overall.