VILLANOVA, Pa. – KJ Johnson put down 15 kills to lock up MVP honors as Fairfield University defeated host Villanova in five sets to win the Villanova Classic. Johnson was joined on the All-Tournament Team by middle blockers Sara Daniels and Ella Gardiner.
 
The Stags, who also swept New Hampshire and Lafayette in the tournament, improve to 4-2 with the win. Villanova falls to an even 3-3.
 
The win was the first for the Stags over Villanova since 1999. The series is now level at 3-3 all-time.
 
"I'm very proud of this group today," said Head Coach Todd Kress. "Not just for winning, but for responding when challenged and showing great resilience and adaptability."
 
The Stags fell behind early in Set 1 as the error-plagued squad fell behind by as many at 10 points at 17-7 Fairfield would put together an 8-3 run to pull into striking distance, but another 3-0 run for the hosts put the stanza out of reach as Villanova claimed the 25-18 decision.
 
Fairfield responded in the second frame, racing to a 7-2 lead. Villanova would storm all the way back with a 7-2 stretch of its own to tie the set at 9-9, and the hosts briefly crept in front at 12-11. However, the Stags ran off five in a row at that point, fueled by two kills from Mikayla Haut and one apiece from Gardiner and Allie Elliott to take a 16-12 lead that they would not relinquish. The Wildcats fought off a pair of set points before Gardiner put down her fourth kill of the set to cap a 25-21 win and even the match at 1-1.
 
Fairfield rode that momentum into the early stages of the third set, taking a fast 7-3 lead. However, Villanova once again overcame the early advantage and, this time around, it was the Wildcats who went on the decisive run as a six-point surge turned a 15-13 Fairfield edge to a 19-15 Villanova lead. The teams traded points the rest of the way, which was enough for the Wildcats to polish off a 25-20 win and take a 2-1 lead in the contest.
 
With their backs against the wall, Fairfield continued its trend of taking an early lead. This time, the Stags would not lose their 6-3 advantage, as the lead ballooned to 15-8 and ultimately wrapped up with a 25-21 win to push the match to a deciding fifth set. Highlighting the fourth was Johnson with four kills and the trio of Daniels, Elliott and Sabria Cooper with three apiece.
 
In the deciding stanza, the Stags continued to rely on their All-America outside hitter as KJ Johnson went 4-of-8 (.500) to power the attack in the final set. Johnson had two kills and teamed up with Daniels for a block in the early goings as Fairfield turned a 3-0 deficit into a 6-3 lead. An ace from Abby Jandro grew the margin to 12-6 and the ninth and final kill for Elliott put away a 15-9 lead and a 3-2 victory for the Stags.
 
Johnson's 15 kills came on 49 swings from the pins with only three errors, and the reigning MAAC Player of the Year also notched seven digs. Sara Daniels added 11 kills on .500 hitting in the middle and got a piece of four of the Stags' six team blocks.
 
Haut and Elliott added nine kills apiece on the outside, while Gardiner rounded out her All-Tournament Team weekend with seven kills on .316 hitting. Cooper added two kills on the right side and Blakely Montgomery dumped over two from the setter position.
 
Montgomery also managed the attack to a .268 clip, dishing out 38 assists. Jandro spelled her at setter in two frames and distributed five helpers.
 
Defensively, Montgomery led the way with 12 digs to record a double-double. Elliott was one kill shy of her first career double-double, as she registered a career-best 11 digs. Kyla Berg added nine from the back row, and Morgan Doll had eight. Also of note, Avery Schner saw her longest stretch of action as a Stag and notched three crucial digs during Fairfield's second set victory.
 
"The upperclassmen were our anchor today," noted Kress. "Sara, KJ, Ella and Berg all led by example, never buckled after a tough first set, and challenged and supported their teammates to help us gut out a huge win on the road against a Big East opponent."
 
"And our freshmen did a tremendous job off the bench," Kress continued. "We absolutely don't win today without the contributions of Allie, Abby and Avery."
 
For the weekend, Johnson averaged 3.73 kills per set on .309 hitting. She added 1.55 digs per stanza and chipped in six blocks and an ace in her 11 sets of work to round out 4.09 points per frame.
 
Daniels was a force on offense and defense in the middle, hitting a scoring .586 with 18 kills on 29 swings and just one error. She added 12 blocks in 11 sets, including four today against the Wildcats.
 
Finally, Gardiner's All-Tournament laurels came on the heels of 1.82 kills per set on .340 hitting in the middle. She added 10 blocks in 11 sets.
 
After back-to-back road weekends to open the 2022 campaign, the Stags will begin the home slate this coming week with five matches in five days. Fairfield will host St. John's on Wednesday at the RecPlex with the Fairfield Invitational set for Sept. 8-11.