FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Fairfield University Volleyball made its long-awaited debut at the Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Saturday afternoon, challenging UMBC before a record-setting crowd of 1,715 fans. The Stags dominated the net with 15 blocks and got double-doubles from Allie Elliott and Blakely Montgomery, but the visiting Retrievers grabbed a 3-1 win by set scores of 26-24, 15-25, 25-19 and 25-22.

The crowd of 1,715 was the largest-ever for a Fairfield Volleyball home match. The previous mark of 1,018 was set in the 3-0 sweep of UConn at Alumni Hall on Nov. 6, 1999. Alumni Hall also hosted a crowd of 1,002 fans for the 2007 MAAC Championship Match between the Stags and Siena.

Today's setback drops the Stags to 3-2 on the season while UMBC -- three-time reigning champion of the America East -- improves to 3-2. The Retrievers return four All-America East players from last season's championship squad.

"We played tough, and we were right there with a very good team. We let the first set get away, but we bounced back in the second. It was just a competitive match and we need to clean up some things to be on the positive side of that type of match going forward," said Head Coach Nancy Somera. "We were at our best when we got them out of an offensive rhythm. The block was there, but we got a little soft with our serving and we need to improve our transition offense and get our middles more involved."

Elliott's double-double consisted of 10 kills and 14 digs. She shared the team best in both of those categories with Mamie Krubally also tallying 10 finishers and Kyla Berg notching 14 digs from the libero spot. Janna Schlageter added nine kills and Mikayla Haut had seven from the outside.

Berg and Elliott were two of four Stags to reach double-digit digs, as Montgomery and Haut registered 11 apiece. Montgomery also doled out 18 assists to complete her double-double; she split setting duties with Abby Jandro, who also posted 18 helpers.

The block was guided by Maya Walker, Schlageter and Elle Shult, all of whom had a hand in seven of the Stags' 15 setbacks. Krubally and Haut each got a piece of three and Elliott played a role in two rejections. The Stags, who rang up a MAAC-high 10 blocks in Thursday's sweep at Sacred Heart, bested their conference-high total with their 15 putdowns today.

Haut landed a pair of aces and Jandro served up one to round out the Fairfield scoring.

How It Happened

SET 1 | Neither team led by more than two points in a back-and-forth opening set. The Stags were poised to grab the frame after turning an 18-20 deficit into a 24-22 lead, but the Retrievers rallied with a 4-0 run to steal the opening stanza, 26-24.

SET 2 | The Stags never trailed in set two, bouyed by nine blocks to limit UMBC to a -.051 hitting percentage. Shult racked up six sendbacks in the set, teaming up with Schlageter for a rejection on three consecutive points as Fairfield led by as many as 12 en route to 25-15 win to even the match at 1-1.

SET 3 | UMBC regained control in the third set, grabbing a quick 8-3 advantage. The Stags fought back but never pulled closer than three points of the visitors for the remainder of the frame, with the Retrievers closing out a 25-19 decision to take a 2-1 edge in the contest.

SET 4 | The fourth set was more of the same, as UMBC took an early lead with Fairfield hanging tough but remaining at arm's length. The pivotal moment for the Stags was a 5-2 run, featuring a Haut ace and kills from Jandro and Elliott, to close a 14-18 deficit down to just one point at 19-20. But the Retrievers won the next two rallies, and the squads traded points the rest of the way, which was enough for UMBC to ice a 25-22 win in the set and a 3-1 victory in the match.

The Stags return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 5 for a 6 p.m. match at LIU. The Sharks are 0-5 with a match against Arizona in Phoenix on the docket prior to hosting Fairfield. The next match at Mahoney Arena is slated for Sunday, Sept. 10 with the Stags hosting Big Ten foe Northwestern at 1 p.m. Admission is free for all fans to all regular season volleyball matches this season.

This article created using technology provided by Data Skrive.