Volleyball continued their dominance in conference play this past week, not dropping a single set en route to three victories that place them atop the standings as they prepare to hit the road this weekend.
The trip to western New York to take on Niagara and Canisius is the longest of the MAAC schedule and perhaps the toughest, as the Purple Eagles currently sit in second place behind the Stags and the Golden Griffins are in a tie for fourth.
The Stags will bring plenty of momentum with them, however, after their trio of convincing sweeps. The team began their week with a highly anticipated clash against crosstown rival and new conference opponent Sacred Heart.
After eking out 26-24 advantages in each of the first two sets, the Stags seemed to take the wind out of the sails of the Pioneers, as they cruised to a 25-11 win in the third set to close out the game. Fairfield was paced offensively by right-side hitter Mamie Krubally ‘27, who continued her terrific sophomore campaign with a 14-kill, three-block performance.
“You don’t prepare differently or approach a match differently because you’re playing a rival,” head coach Nancy Somera told fairfieldstags.com, “but at the same time, it’s the easiest pregame speech in the world.”
The momentum continued into Saturday afternoon’s matchup with another in-state rival in Quinnipiac. The Stags and Bobcats have matched up in the conference championship game in three of the last five years, most recently when Fairfield took a competitive 3-1 win last November to claim the MAAC title.
This time around though, the Stags left little doubt. Using a stifling defensive performance that limited the Bobcats to a mere .123 hitting percentage on the day, they put together another 3-0 win. Middle blocker Maya Walker ‘26 led the effort with six rejections to contribute to the team total of 11. In the back row, graduate libero Kyla Berg racked up a game-high seven digs.
The final game of the week came on Sunday afternoon against the other new addition to the conference in Merrimack. The Stags jumped out to an early lead and never let up against the overmatched Warriors, taking the match in convincing fashion by set scores of 25-13, 25-13, and 25-12.
An already deep Fairfield rotation put a total of 15 players on the floor in the match, with a number of first-year players seeing considerable opportunities, especially late in the third set. The standout performance of the group came from outside hitter Katelyn Cook, who notched a season-best four kills, six digs, and the first two blocks of her Fairfield career.
“We have such a deep bench,” said setter Abby Jandro ‘26, who regularly splits time at the position with her counterpart Blakely Montgomery ‘25. “We have a lot of talent across the board, so being able to utilize a lot of players at different times is a huge strength.”
That depth may be the key to weathering the storm against dangerous Niagara and Canisius teams this weekend. It will be a just under seven-hour ride for the Stags to western New York, where they’ll play both games with less than 24 hours of rest in between.
“We’re always trying to focus on recovery before and after these long weekend trips,” Jandro said, “trying not to lift or have intense practices the day before or after we play, and doing things like getting treatment, getting enough sleep, and eating healthy meals before games.”
The ability to cycle players and continue to perform at a high level will certainly help. On the season, the Stags have four different players with over 100 kills, with a fifth, graduate outside hitter Janna Schlageter, just below that mark at 94. Jandro and Montgomery have totaled 309 and 271 assists respectively, sitting within one assist per set of each other. Defensively, the Stags have four players with over 100 digs and eight with double-digit blocks.
Despite those advantages and their great form, the Stags know that it will still take their best to return home next week with two more victories under their belt.
“We just need to remember that every team is out to get us as the reigning MAAC champions,” Jandro said, “so not underestimating anyone is crucial.”
First serve against Niagara is set for Saturday at 1 P.M. Students and fans can watch the game live on ESPN+.
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