FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Mamie Krubally and Maya Walker – both All-MAAC First Team performers for Fairfield University Volleyball – participated in the 2025 USA Volleyball Women's National Team Open Program on Feb. 21-23. The WNT Open Program was a part of considerations for selection for the USA Volleyball U21 and U23 national teams.
 
Krubally and Walker were among the 160 collegiate student-athletes who earned the opportunity to compete with new WNT Head Coach Erik Sullivan in the first phase of Team USA's preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics. The Fairfield duo played alongside competitors representing 77 NCAA volleyball programs.
 
"The competition was high level, similar to what we saw in the NCAAs," said Krubally. "There were times when it was tough to put the ball down, but it gave me the opportunity to have to use different skills and be craftier to try to score points."
 
"It was a lot of fun and also beneficial to run different types of offense and – as a middle – to get the opportunity to serve and play back row defense," added Walker. "Playing with a different group every session, we also learned a lot about communication that I think we can bring back to our gym at Fairfield for the spring and into next season with some of our teammates who will be taking on new roles along with the five new players joining us in the fall."
 
Krubally earned All-MAAC First Team honors in 2024 after claiming a place on the All-Rookie Team in 2023. She led the Stags in kills at 2.81 per frame while hitting .284 from the right side. Her hitting percentage was good for seventh in the MAAC and was the best among conference hitters with more than 600 swings. Krubally also had a hand in 63 blocks for the Stags in 113 sets.
 
Krubally was named the MAAC Championship MVP after putting down 26 kills on .479 hitting in the tournament as the Stags won their second consecutive MAAC crown and the 14th in program history.
 
Walker was also an All-MAAC First Team selection after being tabbed for the Second Team in 2023. She was Fairfield's leader and ranked second in the MAAC with a .323 hitting percentage on her way to 2.04 kills per set. Walker was also fifth in the conference with 0.99 blocks per stanza, while her 120 total blocks ranked eighth in a single season in Fairfield history.

Walker joined Krubally on the MAAC All-Championship Team after collecting Championship MVP laurels in Fairfield's run to the 2023 conference title.
 
"In alignment with two of the athletic department's core values—Stags Lead and Stags Grow—we believe in providing growth opportunities for our athletes who show promise at the next level," said Head Coach Nancy Somera. "The support from our administration, as well as from our generous friends of the program, made it possible for us to send Mamie and Maya to Colorado Springs to experience a different training environment which will benefit our team in the fall, as they are both leaders in this program."
 
Fairfield Volleyball finished the 2024 season at 21-12. In addition to the program's 14th MAAC Championship, the Stags went 17-1 in conference play to win their 23rd MAAC Regular Season Championship in the last 29 campaigns.