NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – For the second straight afternoon in Western New York, clutch plays on both sides of the net made the difference as Fairfield University Volleyball swept host Niagara, 3-0, to earn its eighth consecutive victory. The Stags won the match by set scores of 25-21, 26-24 and 25-17.
Win the win, Fairfield improves to 15-5 overall and 11-1 in the MAAC to remain in sole possession of first place. Niagara, which had won eight of its last nine matches since a 3-0 loss at Mahoney Arena on Sept. 17, falls to 9-11 on the year and 8-4 in conference play.
"That was a great defensive match with some amazing, scrappy plays on both sides. Niagara is a solid team that's trending in the right direction," said Head Coach Nancy Somera. "We were able to keep their middles neutralized as a part of their offense and made them earn their points today."
Fairfield's attack was led by 14 kills from Allie Elliott, who fell just shy of her fourth straight double-double with nine digs. Maya Walker was a force in the middle with 12 kills on .550 hitting.
Supplementing the offense, Janna Schlageter and Svenja Rodenbusch had five kills apiece, with Mamie Krubally chipping in four.
Blakely Montgomery managed the attack with 32 assists. Abby Jandro also spent time at the setter spot and dished out seven assists. The Stags were limited to .135 hitting, with Niagara racking up 13 blocks.
The Stags countered with seven blocks, as Schlageter got a piece of four and the duo of Walker and Elliott each getting a hand on three. In the back row, Kyla Berg had a team-best 16 digs from the libero spot. Rodenbusch added a career-best 14 and four Stags – Elliott, Montgomery, Mikayla Haut and Noelle Carey – posted nine apiece. The Niagara offense was stifled to a .099 hitting percentage.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Both teams went on early runs in Set 1, with the Stags running off five in a row followed by a 5-0 Niagara spurt. From that point, the teams would play to 10 ties in the total -- the last of which came at 19-19. Fairfield broke the deadlock with another five straight points, sparked by back-to-back Schlageter aces, to put away the frame, 25-21.
SET 2 | Niagara was poised to take Set 2, grabbing 19-15 advantage. The margin stayed in the Purple Eagles' favor out to a 23-20 lead, but the Stags quickly erased the deficit to knot the match at 23-23. Niagara won the next point to garner a set point chance, but the Stags answered once more with three in a row to close out the frame, 26-24, and a take a 2-0 lead in the contest.
SET 3 | Unless the first two frames, a 6-6 tie marked the last time that Set 3 would be deadlocked. The Stags put together a 5-0 run out of the stalemate and never looked back. Another six-point eruption quelled the final Niagara threat, and Fairfield won the stanza pull away, 25-17, to finish the 3-0 sweep.
Up Next
The Stags have just one match on the docket next week as they travel to Hamden for the return match with Quinnipiac. First serve on Sunday, Oct. 29 is slated for 1 p.m.
Quinnipiac is currently in second place in the MAAC at 10-2 as a part of a 14-7 overall record. The Stags won the first meeting between the two squads, 3-1, on Oct. 6 at Mahoney Arena.
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