FAIRFIELD, Conn. — Fairfield University Volleyball rallied back from a first-set loss to knock off visiting Quinnipiac, 3-1, in an early clash of perennial MAAC contenders on Saturday at Leo D. Mahoney Arena. The Stags earned the victory by set scores of 14-25, 25-19, 25-17, and 25-17 in a rematch of the last three MAAC Championship Matches.
With the win, the Stags improve to 8-4 overall and 2-0 in the MAAC. The Bobcats, who won in four sets last night at Sacred Heart, stand at 4-10 on the year with a 1-1 league tally.
"We started slowly but finished strong; I'll take that any day over a strong start and a slow finish," said Head Coach
Nancy Somera. "We made some adjustments after that first set, and everybody who came in off the bench did a great job. We've got a competitive practice gym – our roster is as deep as it's ever been in my time here – and getting those contributions from everybody on the roster is what it's going to take for us to be successful."
Natalie Carlin got the call at libero and finished with a team-high 11 digs to go along with five assists and a service ace. Also in the back row,
Nicole Macalintal came on in relief and posted five digs with a pair of aces.
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.
Zofia Sykut managed the offense form the setter spot with 33 digs after Fairfield overcame a .000 hitting percentage in the opening frame to finish at .259.
After landing nine service aces in yesterday's sweep of Merrimack, Fairfield dropped in a season-best 13 winners this afternoon – its highest single-match total since also serving up a baker's dozen in a four-set win at Manhattan in November of 2021. Elliott and Wyche accounted for three aces apiece, which Wyche landing her three in succession to close out the second set.
Defensively, Carlin's 11 digs paced a balanced outing that saw Elliott and
Abby Jandro each post six digs, while Sykut and Macalintal had five apiece. At the net, Wyche and Walker each had a hand in five of Fairfield's 10 blocks and Healey got a piece of three as the Stags' defense limited Quinnipiac to a .223 hitting percentage, including marks of .129 in the third set and .098 in the fourth.
The Bobcats were paced by reigning MAAC Player of the Year Elena Giacomini with 19 kills and 12 digs. Yagmur Gunes added 15 kills and a match-best 15 digs for QU.
The match was defined by early runs, as only the third set was tied at a score later than 2-2. The first frame saw the Bobcats take an 8-2 lead with an early 8-0 run, while the Stags ran off the first seven points of the second stanza and never looked back.
The third set was the outlier, featuring five ties and three lead changes. The Stags trailed by as many as five points (8-3) and as late as 17-16 in the set. But QU would not score again from that point as Fairfield ended the stanza on a nine-point surge to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Stags carried that momentum into set four, winning nine of the frame's first 10 rallies. The Bobcats climbed back as close as 18-15 before a Sykut ace and Elliot's 12th and final kill ended the rally and pushed the advantage back to 21-16. Two kills from Bortolotti, a Wyche finisher, and back-to-back QU errors sealed the contest, with the Stags icing the 3-1 decision.
Fairfield Volleyball is back in action on Tuesday, Sept. 30, closing out the three-match MAAC homestand with a 6 p.m. visit from Sacred Heart. The Pioneers, who fell to QU in four sets on Saturday, are 3-10 overall and 0-1 in the MAAC with a Saturday evening clash with Merrimack currently in progress at the Pitt Center.
Admission is free for all fans to all Fairfield Volleyball regular season home matches.
