FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball Head Coach Nancy Somera has announced the five student-athletes who will comprise the Stags' Class of 2029. Emma Bortolotti, Mia Jean Claude, Nicole Macalintal, Ella Paniagua and Zofia Sykut will join the Stags beginning in the fall of 2025.
 
"We are excited to announce our incoming Class of 2029," said Somera – the 2024 MAAC Coach of the Year. "One of our biggest strengths this season has been our depth, which is driven by the high level of competition in our practice gym. Despite losing seven student-athletes to graduation after this season, our incoming class will help us maintain that level of competition on a daily basis."
 
Emma Bortolotti is a pin hitter from San Michele di Feletto, Italy. Her club ranked third at the U18 national finals in 2022. She gained high level experience in Italy's junior national team program and, most recently, competed for both the senior national championship and the U18 championship. Bortolotti will major in Marketing in the Dolan School of Business.
 
Mia Jean Claude comes to Fairfield from Miami where she was named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Player of the Year in 2023. The pin hitter also received an All-Star Award at the 2023 AAU National Championship and was named the Best Offensive Player at Ransom Everglade High School. Jean Claude will enter the Nursing program at Fairfield.
 
A libero from San Jose, Calif., Nicole Macalintal won a pair of CCS Open Division and NorCal Open Division championships during her career. She was the starting libero for Archbishop Mitty High School – the eight-ranked program in the nation by MaxPreps – in 2023 en route to a WCAL Honorable Mention. Macalintal intends to study Accounting in the Dolan School of Business.
 
Ella Paniagua joins the Stags from Orange County, Calif.  She was All-Trinity League First Team selection in both indoor and beach volleyball as a junior in addition to All-Trinity Honorable Mention laurels in her sophomore campaign at Rosary Academy. Paniagua will enter the Dolan School of Business as a Marketing major.
 
Zofia Sykut from Dresden, Germany rounds out the class. The setter has extensive club experience in Germany as the starter for VCO Dresden. She has won two silver medals and two bronze medals in the  German Championships, and won the U17 National Cup in 2020 in addition to a silver in 2021 and bronze in 2022.
 
The five incoming Stags will join a Fairfield team that won its second consecutive MAAC Championship in 2024 – the 14th in program history. The Stags also won the MAAC Regular Season Championship for the 23rd time in the last 29 seasons.