FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball concludes an eight-match, three-weekend road swing with two matches on Long Island on Sept. 11-12. The Stags will challenge Army West Point and Liberty at the Hofstra Invitational to close out the season-opening stretch away from Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
 
News and Notes

• Natalie Carlin was named the Metro Conference Libero of the Week. She posted a team-leading 4.58 digs per set and recorded her first career double-double as a part of Fairfield's 2-1 weekend in Boston.
• Fairfield Volleyball has been selected for two matches to air on SNY as a part of the Metro Conference linear TV package. First, the Stags host Quinnipiac at Mahoney Arena on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. live on SNY. The Nov. 6 road contest at Rider will air on SNY on tape delay at a date and time to be determined. Both matches will also be broadcast live on ESPN+.

 
Fairfield University Stags (3-3, 0-0 Metro)

• The Stags went 2-1 this past weekend in Boston to even their season record at 3-3. Fairfield dropped its opener at Harvard on Friday, then responded with back-to-back wins on Saturday against Holy Cross and Northeastern.
• Six matches into the campaign, the Stags lead the Metro with a .220 team hitting percentage and rank fourth defensively with opponents hitting .192 against them.
• Mamie Krubally is the lone Stag among the Metro's top 10 in kills with 2.70 per frame. Including Krubally, all of Fairfield's rotation hitters are averaging more than one kill per set.
• Harlan Wyche leads Fairfield and the Metro with 30 total blocks and 1.30 blocks per set (64th in the nation). Wyche's next block will be her 200th as a Stag.
• In the back row, Natalie Carlin boasts a team-best 3.37 digs per set, followed by 2.90 from Nicole Macalintal, and 1.96 from setter Zofia Sykut.
• Friday's match against Army West Point will be the 100th for Head Coach Nancy Somera – challenging the same opponent from her first match leading the Stags in 2023. Somera will be the fifth Fairfield head coach to reach 100 matches, joining Todd Kress, Jeff Werneke, Alija Pittenger, and Arnetha Eaddy. She enters the weekend with a record of 71-28 (.717) at Fairfield as a part of a 366-200 (.647) career head coaching record.

 
Army West Point Black Knights (5-1, 0-0 Patriot League)

• Army West Point brings a 5-1 record and a five-match winning streak to Hofstra, most recently reeling off three 3-0 wins at the UT Arlington Tournament. The Black Knights defeated Sam Houston State, Kent State, and the host Mavs in their weekend in Arlington.
• Army opened its campaign with a home tournament, falling to Iowa and then defeating Sacred Heart and UAlbany.
• The Black Knights are hitting .224 and holding opponents to a .189 hitting percentage. Army also bolsters its second with 2.48 aces per set, which slots ninth in the nation.
• Kennedy Jones leads the offense with 3.10 kills per set on .310 hitting. Marlee Lightsey adds 2.29 kills per set and ranks second defensively at 2.71 digs per set.
• Nicole Stroud paces the back row with 3.17 digs per stanza.
• Fairfield defeated Army, 3-2, in the 2023 season opener in West Point to move to 6-8 all-time against the Black Knights. Army won the first six meetings in the series from 1990-93 with the Stags winning six of eight since.

 
Liberty University Flames (4-3, 0-0 Conference USA)

• Liberty is 4-3 on the season after most recently sweeping Radford on Tuesday evening. The Flames also hold wins over Akron, ETSU, and Lamar with losses to Auburn, Virginia, and High Point.
• The Flames have recorded a .226 hitting percentage to date and have allowed a .245 hitting percentage against them through seven matches.
• Laney Daniell puts down a team-leading 2.88 kills per set and ranks 12th in the nation among qualified hitters with a .481 hitting percentage.
• Paige Overcash adds 2.69 kills per stanza for Liberty.
• Layla Collins and Daniels protect the net with 22 and 19 blocks, respectively, through 26 sets. The back row defensive effort is headed by Melis Ural with 3.69 digs per frame.
• Fairfield and Liberty have met twice all time, both on a neutral court and both won by Liberty. The Flames earned a 3-2 decision over the Stags in Cincinnati in 2001 and posted a 3-0 win in Providence in 2014.

 
Up Next

• Fairfield opens the home slate and concludes non-conference play next weekend at Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
• The Stags will play three matches in three days from Sept. 17-19 as they host Central Connecticut State, Brown, and Middle Tennessee for the Fairfield Invitational.