FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball enters the second half of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedule this weekend with road trips to Quinnipiac and Merrimack. The Stags are eying season sweeps of both the Bobcats and Warriors after knocking off both at Mahoney Arena in September.
 
Fairfield University Stags (15-4, 9-0 MAAC)

• Fairfield most recently swept Iona and Manhattan at Mahoney Arena to improve to 9-0 in the MAAC as a part of a 15-4 overall record.
• The Stags' next win would mark the 30th consecutive season with a winning record in MAAC play.
• Excluding the spring of 2021 season in which only 10 matches were played, Fairfield is also eying its sixth consecutive 20-win campaign.
• On the national charts, Maya Walker leads the MAAC and ranks 27th nationally with a .407 hitting percentage.
• Harlan Wyche is second in the conference with 1.17 blocks per set, which slots her at 101 in all of Division I.
• As a team, Fairfield is 25th in the nation in hitting percentage (.269), 46th in aces per set (1.78), 51st in assists per set (12.47), 65th in kills per set (13.33) and 89th in opponent hitting percentage (.190).

 
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (10-11, 7-2 MAAC)

• Quinnipiac has won four straight matches – knocking off Rider, Saint Peter's, Siena, and Marist all on the road – to improve to 10-11 on the season with a 7-2 MAAC record.
• The Bobcats have played only two home matches to date, welcoming the Canisius and Niagara to Hamden on Oct. 3-4. QU defeated the Golden Griffs and fell to the Purple Eagles, both in four sets.
• Reigning MAAC Player of the Year Elena Giacomini leads the MAAC with 4.42 kills and 5.02 points per set, racking up a league-high 974 swings to date.
• Damla Gunes directs the offense to a .176 hitting percentage, dishing out 9.49 assists per frame.

 
First Meeting (Fairfield wins 3-1)

• Fairfield rallied back from a first-set loss to knock off visiting Quinnipiac, 3-1, in an early clash of perennial MAAC contenders on Sept. 27 at Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
• The Stags earned the victory by set scores of 14-25, 25-19, 25-17, and 25-17.
• On the attack, pin hitters Emma Bortolotti and Allie Elliott put down 15 and 12 kills respectively. Fairfield also got 14 kills from its middles, with Maya Walker and Harlan Wyche each registering seven.
• Lindsey Healey appeared in all four sets and chipped in three kills along with three blocks, two aces and two digs.
• The Bobcats were paced by Elena Giacomini with 19 kills and 12 digs.
• Yagmur Gunes added 15 kills and a match-best 15 digs for QU.

 
Merrimack College Warriors (5-13, 3-6 MAAC)

• A three-match losing streak has Merrimack sitting at 5-13 overall and 3-6 in the MAAC. Merrimack fell at Marist and Siena last weekend, both in four sets.
• The Warriors will host Sacred Heart on Friday afternoon before entertaining the Stags on Saturday.
• Merrimack is at the bottom of the conference with a .134 hitting percentage, while opponents are hitting .213 against them. The Warriors have picked up the scoring pace in service aces, where they rank second in the MAAC (1.82/set), and slot fourth in the conference in blocks (1.96/set).
• Individually, Mckenna Shotwell is third in the MAAC with 28 aces in 67 sets. Libero Ella Maldonaldo ranks seventh in the conference in digs at 3.42 per frame.

 
First Meeting (Fairfield wins 3-0)

• Fairfield lifted the lid on the MAAC portion of the 2025 schedule with a 3-0 sweep of visiting Merrimack on Sept. 26 at Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
• The Stags claimed the match by set scores of 25-19, 25-15 and 25-16.
• Allie Elliott led the attack with 18 kills on .531 hitting (18-1-32) from the outside, powering Fairfield across the finish line with nine kills on 14 attempts in the third set.
• Katelyn Cook added six kills on 17 errorless tries (.363). Mamie Krubally and Emma Bortolotti supplemented the work from the pins with seven and four kills, respectively.
• The Warriors' scoring was guided by their serving with 11 aces. Sophia DeBonis and Mckenna Shotwell each accounted for three winners.
• Shotwell was also one of four Merrimack hitters to share the team lead of four kills.

 
MAAC Notes

• The Stags hold a two-match lead at 9-0 in the MAAC. Quinnipiac and Niagara share second place in the standings at 7-2.
• Fairfield can sweep the season series from QU with a win on Friday. The Stags will not see Niagara until Nov. 7 at Mahoney Arena for the lone meeting between the two in the regular season.
• The top six teams at the close of the regular season will qualify for the 2025 MAAC Championship. The third and fourth seeds will each host a First Round match on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
• The "Final Four" will convene at the home court of the top seed. The semifinals and final will be held on consecutive days between Nov. 21-24, to be determined by the host.

 
Up Next

• After this weekend, the Stags make the short trip across town to visit Sacred Heart on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
• The Pioneers, who also travel to Quinnipiac and Merrimack this weekend, currently stand at 7-14 overall and 4-5 in MAAC action.