LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Less than 24 hours after clinching the outright MAAC Regular Season Championship for the fifth straight year, Fairfield University Volleyball was back on the court to close out the regular season slate at Rider. The Stags outlasted the Broncs in a pair of close sets – sandwiched around a dominant second frame – to take the match, 3-0, by scores of 27-25, 25-7 and 25-23.
With the win, Fairfield heads to the postseason with a record of 20-6 overall and 16-2 in the MAAC. The Stags are 20-match winners for the 19th time in program history and wrap up league play with two or fewer losses for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
Rider, which clinched a playoff berth yesterday with a 3-2 "reverse sweep" of Quinnipiac, enters the tournament at 11-16 overall and 10-8 in conference play. The Broncs will be either the fifth or sixth seed, pending the results of the Niagara/Iona match currently in progress.
The Stags were led on the pins today by Allie Elliott and Mikayla Haut with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Elliott hit .353 and Haut swung at a .393 clip, fueling Fairfield to a .286 team hitting percentage. Elliott also picked up 10 digs to round out her second straight double-double and eighth overall on the campaign.
Mamie Krubally added eight kills on .263 hitting from the right side, while Maya Walker had five kills and Janna Schlageter put down three from the middle.
Blakely Montgomery dumped over two kills from the setter spot while handing out 38 assists managing the Fairfield attack.
In the back row, Kyla Berg had a match-best 15 digs. Svenja Rodenbüsch contributed 14 for the second straight match and served up four aces – running her total to nine for the weekend.
The Stags rounded out the scoring with six team blocks. Walker had a hand in four rejections and Montgomery get a piece of three as Fairfield limited Rider to a .125 hitting percentage.
"Our defense carried us today," said Head Coach Nancy Somera. "We were digging tough balls and making good passes, and that kept us going in the right direction while our offense worked some things out early. Credit to Rider for their part in that, as well. There were some great rallies today with both defenses going all out. That's the kind of volleyball we need to be playing going into the tournament, because we know our opponents are going to bring it like Rider did today."
How It Happened
SET 1 | Both teams saw multiple three-point leads slip away in Set 1, culminating with the Stags facing a Rider set point, as the Broncs led -25-24. A Haut kill pulled Fairfield back even, then a Walker kill and Rodenbüsch ace made up the final momentum swing of the frame, with the Stags earning a 27-25 win to take a 1-0 lead.
SET 2 | The momentum carried into the next set, as a 1-0 score marked the only time Rider would lead in the stanza. The Stags scored the next five and an outstanding 18 of the next 20 points out to a decisive 18-3 advantage. Once again, Fairfield rode the serve of Rodenbüsch to the large lead, with three aces from the junior during the stretch along with four Elliott kills. The sizeable margin was more than sufficient for the Stags to coast to a 25-7 victory and a 2-0 edge in the match.
SET 3 | Set 3 resembled the first with 10 ties and five lead changes throughout. The final deadlock came at 23-23, with the Stags emerging from the tie with back-to-back Haut kills to seal the sweep with a 25-23 triumph.
Up Next
As the the top seed in the MAAC Championship, the Stags have earned a bye to the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Leo D. Mahoney Arena. More information regarding the postseason will be announced as it is finalized by the conference office.
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