NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Harlan Wyche became the 10th player in Fairfield University Volleyball history to eclipse 300 career blocks in the Stags' 3-1 win at Merrimack on Friday evening in North Andover.
Emma Bortolotti paced the attack with 16 kills, and
Katelyn Cook led the back row defense with a career-high 28 digs.
With the win, the Stags improve to 13-0 in the Metro Conference as a part of a 19-5 overall record. Fairfield's next win will secure at least a share of the program's eighth consecutive Regular Season Championship. Merrimack falls to 3-23 on the season and 3-10 in the Metro. Fairfield took the contest by set scores of 23-25, 25-11, 25-10, and 25-18.
With four blocks tonight, Wyche ranks 10th in Fairfield history with 302 blocks and counting. Her 133 rejections this season are good for second in the nation as well as the fourth-most in a single-season in program history. The junior put down a career-best 14 blocks – the most by a Stag since 1994 – in Fairfield's Tuesday win over Sacred Heart.
In tonight's match, Bortolotti hit .368 on her way to 16 kills from the right side. She also tallied a career-high 17 digs to round out a double-double performance.
Aislin Oldach also reached a career high this evening with 15 kills, hitting .324 from the left pin.
Wyche starred on offense as well as defense as she posted nine kills on 13 errorless tries for a .692 hitting percentage in the middle. Rounding out the attack,
Julie Dufourt had seven kills,
Sophia Nagy had six, and
Lindsey Healey tallied one.
The attack was managed to a .287 clip by
Zofia Sykut with 31 assists to go along with four kills, four digs, and four blocks.
Noella Migliuri added 13 assists and three digs in three sets of work from the setter spot.
Fairfield added eight points from the service game, led by Cook with three winners from beyond the end line.
Natalie Carlin dealt a pair of aces, while Sykut, Bortolotti, and Wyche had one apiece.
Cook's 28 digs marked a career high for the junior libero. In addition to Bortolotti's 17 digs, Dufourt pitched in 11 and Carlin had 10 from the back row.
Wyche, Sykut, and Nagy all had a hand in four of the Stags' 11 team blocks. Dufourt and Bortolotti each got a piece of three send-backs.
McKenna Shotwell led Merrimack with five kills and eight digs.
Fairfield Volleyball returns to action tomorrow – Saturday, Oct. 31 – for a 3 p.m. clash at Quinnipiac. The Bobcats were on the short end of a 3-2 match with Sacred Heart this afternoon in Hamden.
