THE LEAD
Fairfield University Volleyball makes its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA postseason, traveling to Minneapolis to meet fourth-seeded and #17 nationally-ranked Minnesota. First serve from Maturi Pavilion is set for Friday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
 
'SHIP STATS
Fairfield returns to the national stage for the third straight season and the fourth time in the last five years. The Stags will be representing the MAAC as the conference champion for the 15th time in the last 30 seasons, previously reaching the NCAA Championship in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024.
 
The Stags are 0-14 all-time in the NCAA Championship. Fairfield was the first and one of only two MAAC teams to ever win a set in the national postseason. The Stags took a frame from #15 Pepperdine in 2000 and nearly forced a fifth set before falling, 16-14, to drop a 3-1 match in Malibu.
 
That 2000 Fairfield Volleyball team is set to be inducted into the Fairfield Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 1, 2026.
 
NOVEMBER REIGN
Fairfield has been the MAAC Volleyball standard bearer with 15 MAAC Championships and 24 MAAC Regular Season Championships in the last 30 years. The Stags' current three-peat is their third run of three or more consecutive conference crowns.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
Top-seeded Fairfield won the MAAC Championship with a 3-0 victory over third-seeded Rider on Nov. 23 at the Stags' Leo D. Mahoney Arena. The Stags defeated fourth-seeded Canisius in straight sets in the semifinal round.
 
Fairfield played host to the MAAC Championship for the seventh time overall and the second time at Mahoney Arena. However, 2025 was the first time that the Stags earned the right to host as the conference's top seed.
 
Prior to the 2025 season, the MAAC postseason tournament was held at a predetermined site.
 
MAAC Regular season Champions
Fairfield Volleyball is the only team in the nation to have won seven consecutive outright Regular Season Championships (no shares, no divisions). In total, the Stags have won or shared 24 of the last 30 MAAC Regular Season crowns.
 
In addition to seven consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championships, the Stags have won 10 of the last 11 and 12 of the last 14 regular season titles.
 
SMART STAGS
Fairfield Volleyball had 11 Stags named to the MAAC All-Academic Team. To be eligible, a student-athlete must own an overall GPA of at least 3.20 with a minimum of two complete semesters at their current institution. Fairfield's 11 honorees represent every Stag eligible to earn the award in the Fall of 2025.
 
THE QUARTER CENTURY MARK
Fairfield's MAAC Championship win over Rider was also its 25th victory of the season. The Stags have now reached the 25-win plateau in eight seasons in program history.
 
Excluding the spring 2021 season in which only 10 total matches were played, the Stags have reached the 20-win mark in six consecutive years. Fairfield owns a total of 20 20-win seasons in the last 30 years.
 
FIRST TEAM TRIO
Allie Elliott, Mamie Krubally, and Maya Walker were all named to the All-MAAC First Team for the second consecutive season.
 
The three Stags are the first in conference history to all earn All-MAAC First Team laurels in consecutive campaigns since the Fairfield trio of Liz Bower, Sara Lein, and Jen Mclaughlin in 1997 and 1998.
 
WE > ME
The 2025 Stags joined the 2023 Fairfield squad as the only teams in conference history to win both the MAAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships without an individual player or coach earning one of the conference's major year-end awards.
 
TOURNAMENT TESTED
Harlan Wyche was named the MAAC Championship MVP after putting down 10 kills on .643 hitting with nine blocks in six sets in the postseason wins over Canisius and Rider. She was joined on the All-Championship Team by Mamie Krubally (17 kills, .367) and Maya Walker (8 kills, 14 blocks).
 
1,000 x 1,000
Allie Elliott is 10 kills shy of becoming only the eighth Stag to reach both 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. Elliott heads to Minneapolis with 990 kills and ranked 17th all-time with 1,056 digs in her standout career.
 
SKY-WALKER
Maya Walker is among Fairfield's all-time leaders in career hitting percentage (.356) and blocks (431).
 
This season, her MAAC-best .416 hitting percentage ranks 19th in the nation. No Stag has ever finished a season hitting over .400 with more than 400 swings.
 
DEALING WITH REJECTION
Harlan Wyche and Maya Walker topped the MAAC with 126 and 125 total blocks, respectively. Both Stags are within striking distance of Fairfield's "rally-scoring era" record of 127 blocks set by Kristin Anderson in 2002.
 
NORTH STAR STAGS
Fairfield Volleyball boasts three Stags from the state of Minnesota: senior captains Allie Elliott (Stewartville) and Abby Jandro (Lakeville), and sophomore Caroline Collins (Lakeville).
 
NON-CONFERENCE NOTES
The Stags went 6-4 in the non-MAAC slate to post a non-conference RPI of 108 as of Selection Sunday.
 
Fairfield earned victories over Old Dominion, Towson, Yale, Northeastern, CCSU, and eventual Big South Champion High Point. The Stags' non-league setbacks came to West Virginia, Villanova, UConn, and Bryant.
 
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRACKET
Friday's first match will feature fifth-seeded Iowa State (22-7, 12-6 Big 12) and Summit League Champion St. Thomas (21-9, 11-5 Summit). The winners will meet on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. (ET) for a place in the NCAA Regionals on Dec. 11-13 at Pitt, or the highest advancing seed in the regional if the Panthers are upset this weekend.