FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Kyla Berg recorded her 1,000th career dig as a part of a stifling defensive effort for Fairfield University Volleyball on Wednesday evening as the Stags swept visiting Iona at Leo D. Mahoney Arena. The Fairfield libero totaled 17 digs on the evening to bring her total to 1,008 and counting.
 
Fairfield (11-5, 7-1 MAAC) claimed the match by set scores of 26-24, 25-17 and 25-18.  The Stags took both ends of the home-and-home series from Iona (8-12, 4-5 MAAC) after also sweeping the Gaels on Oct. 1 in New Rochelle.
 
Berg is the 18th Stag to reach 1,000 career digs. Her 3.38 digs per set currently slot her at sixthe all-time in program history. Blakely Montgomery also had a career day in the back row with 21 digs from the setter spot. Montgomery also doled out 28 assists as Fairfield's primary setter to complete a double-double.

Abby Jandro made it three Stags with double-digit digs, finishing the match with 11.
 
As a team, the Stags' 79 digs marked a season high as well as the most by a Fairfield team is a three-set match since recording 85 digs in a 3-0 sweep of Niagara during the 2012 campaign.
 
"Defense has been a major focus for us in our practice gym, and I'm glad to see it show on the court on gamedays recently," said Head Coach Nancy Somera. "We've gone over 70 digs in back-to-back matches against two of the stronger teams in our league (Quinnipiac and Iona). When we're passing well and staying in system – and also making some plays out of system on top of that – it makes everything else we're trying to do a little bit easier."
 
Also on the defensive side of the net, the Stags racked up 10 team blocks. Janna Schlageter had a hand in five of those sendbacks and Mikayla Haut was a part of four rejections. All told, the Fairfield defense limited Iona to a .052 hitting percentage.
 
The attack was fueled by Haut with 12 kills on .241 hitting from the pins. The reigning MAAC Player of the Week has put down double-digit kills in four of her last five matches, hitting .277 during that stretch.
 
Mamie Krubally, Allie Elliott and Schlageter each added seven kills to the attack. Krubally hit a team-best .350 on her 20 errorless attempts. Montgomery and Maya Walker capped the attack with three kills apiece as the Stags posted a .162 team hitting percentage.

How It Happened

SET 1 | After 12 ties and six lead changes, the Stags made the final push that decided the opening frame. Trailing 22-19, Fairfield won four the next five rallies to knot the set at 23-23. Iona scored next to gain a set-point opportunity but would not score again as the Stags earned the final three points to take the early advantage, 26-24, for a 1-0 lead in the match.

SET 2 | Fairfield took the lead in Set 2 with three straight points to snap a 4-4 deadlock. The Gaels stayed in striking distance out to a 10-8 until the Stags ran off six straight to build an 18-10 cushion. The squads traded points the rest of the way, allowing Fairfield to coast to a 25-17 win to claim the 2-0 edge in the match.

SET 3 | An early 3-2 deficit marked the final time that Fairfield would trail for the evening, as Elliott put down back-to-back kills to cap a 5-0 run that stakes the Stags to an 8-3 lead. Iona wouldn't fade away until the final stretch of action, as the Stags won the last five points punctuated by two aces from Svenja Rodenbusch and two blocks from the tandem of Schlageter and Montgomery to polish off the 25-18 final and the 3-0 sweep.

Up Next

Fairfield rounds out its four-match homestand this weekend with visits from Rider and Saint Peter's on Oct. 14-15. Both matches are slated for a 1 p.m. first serve. Admission is free for all fans to all Fairfield Volleyball regular season home matches this season.

This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.