EDISON, N.J. – Fairfield University Volleyball has been selected third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Preseason Poll, as voted upon by the league's 10 head coaches. The Stags open the 2023 campaign on August 25-26 with three matches at the Army Invitational.
 
Fairfield won its fourth consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championship and reached the MAAC Championship Match in 2022. The Stags finished last fall with a record of 25-7 overall and 17-1 in the conference.
 
Marist and Defending MAAC Champion Quinnipiac shared the top of the preseason ledger with identical tallies of 85 points and three first-place votes apiece. The Stags grabbed one first-place vote on their way to 76 points, and Iona slotted fourth with 70 points.
 
Canisius, Rider and Siena each claimed one of the remaining first-place votes to finish fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. Rounding out the poll were Niagara in eighth and the duo of Manhattan and Saint Peter's tied for ninth.
 
The 2023 edition of the Stags features seven returners – all of whom appeared in at least 50 sets last fall – and seven newcomers. The campaign will be the first for Head Coach Nancy Somera with Fairfield Volleyball. Somera has led the programs at Oregon State and South Carolina as a part of a coaching career that spans more than 30 years.