FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Volleyball opened the home portion of the 2026 schedule with a 3-1 over visiting Central Connecticut State on Thursday at Leo D. Mahoney Arena. The in-state clash was the first of three home matches for the Stags at this weekend's Fairfield Invitational.
With the win, the Stags improved to 5-4 on the season while CCSU slipped to 2-8. Fairfield took the contest by set scores of 25-15, 25-27, 25-14, and 25-15.
"It was good to be home and to get back in the win column," said Head Coach
Nancy Somera. "We still have some things to clean up, which is normal for this early part of the season. We hit over .500 in two sets and played some tough defense in the back row and at the net. Now it becomes about sustaining that high level for the duration of the match, which is just something that comes from focus and repetition and continuing to play for and with each other."
Fairfield hit .355 for the match, powered by a .526 hitting percentage in the opening set and a .571 clip in the third. The Stags made just one attack error in each of those frames.
Aislin Oldach led the offense with 13 kills on .500 hitting.
Mamie Krubally also swung at a .500 rate, putting down 10 on 20 swings without an error.
Emma Bortolotti was the third Stag with double-digit kills as she added 11 and also picked up 11 digs for her second double-double of the campaign.
Supplementing the attack,
Mia Jean Claude had seven kills on .467 hitting and
Sophia Nagy hit .500 with six kills.
Harlan Wyche added two finishers from the middle, with
Katelyn Cook,
Zofia Sykut, and
Courtney Vines chipping in one apiece. Vines' kill to end the match was her first as a Stag.
Managing the Stags to .355 hitting was the setting duo of Sykut and
Noella Migliuri with 25 and 11 assists, respectively.
Fairfield tied a season-best with 14 service aces, led by five from Sykut to match her individual career best. Bortolotti and Migliuri each served up three, Wyche landed a pair of winners, and Cook had one.
Bortolotti and
Natalie Carlin headed the defensive effort with 11 digs apiece, while Cook and Sykut each registered nine. At the net, Bortolotti and Wyche each had a hand in four of the Stags' eight team blocks. Nagy got a piece of three rejections with Krubally and Oldach contributing to two apiece. Fairfield's defense limited CCSU to a .145 hitting percentage; the Blue Devils entered the match was the top hitting team in the NEC.
Hanley Schmidt led Central Connecticut with 12 kills, and CCSU libero Annabelle Denomme had a match-best 12 digs.
Action at the Fairfield Invitational continues Friday when the Stags host Brown at 6:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, CCSU will be back on the court at Mahoney Arena to challenge Middle Tennessee at 4 p.m.
Admission is free for all fans this weekend and for all Fairfield Volleyball home matches this season.
Match Notes
- The Stags' .355 hitting percentage was their second highest of the season, edged only by the .359 clip from the Aug. 29 win over Colgate.
- Ella Paniagua made her 2026 debut in the fourth set.
- The Stags won their home opener for the third consecutive season and are 3-1 in home openers at Mahoney Arena.
- Fairfield has won 12 consecutive home matches, which is tied for the fifth longest active streak in the nation.
