Elite Eight

After dropping a game to non-conference foe Hofstra, the Fairfield volleyball team is picking up right where it left off in MAAC play with its eighth straight MAAC win over Marist on Friday, Oct. 12.

The Stags improved to nine wins with only one loss in conference play but still remain in second place behind undefeated Siena.

“I thought the match against Hofstra was just gutsy performance; at moments I became a fan because it was really entertaining,” said Head Coach Jeff Werneke. “It was nice to see us come back and play to our capabilities against Marist.”

Fairfield bowled over the Red Foxes en route to its eighth shutout of the season.

The players continue to put forth a tremendous team effort behind their seniors.

Kelly Oliver ’08 exemplified the Stags’ effort and intensity on offense with 14 kills in Friday’s game along with a .367 attacking percentage and five digs.

Lindsey Lee ’08 and Jazmin Pa’akaula ’08 dominated on the defensive end with 20 and 12 digs, respectively.

Even the team’s freshmen are making key contributions to the Stags’ confidence and control on the court with Lauren Wagner notching three kills and two blocks.

Freshman Kayla Hughes also made a significant impact on the game, converting on six of her seven kill attempts.

Junior Karlie Urbaniak and Katie Mann joined Oliver in double digit kills with 10 and 13 respectively.

Hitting percentages such as Mann’s stellar .571 helped the Stags attain a .421 percentage over the course of the game, while several important blocks held the Red Foxes to a .058 percentage.

The Stags trumped the Foxes in blocks as well with a solid 7-3 ratio.

The Stags’ intense and unrelenting style of play led them to two quick victories in the match, 30-10 and 30-11.

The two commanding wins were due in large part to the efforts of sophomore Barbie Thistle, as she served five consecutive points to break the game open and nine unanswered points in the second game to put the Foxes in an immediate and inescapable hole.

The third game looked as though it could be the beginnings of a Fox comeback with a 4-4 tie to start. The rally was quickly squelched by the Stags as they went on a 6-3 scoring run and finished the game with a solid 30-18 win to complete the 3-0 shutout.

The Stags will finish out the season with eight straight MAAC games.

Their next game will be a critical one as they take on third place Iona (7-2 MAAC) at home on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

This upcoming weekend holds a two-game road trip for the Stags at Canisius on Sat., Oct. 20 and Niagara the following day.

The women then have a six-day break during which Werneke will work them as hard as they’ve worked all season in preparation for potentially the most important game of the season against division leader Siena at Alumni Hall.

The Stags will be looking for revenge as they suffered their only divisional loss at the hands of the Siena Saints.

If the Stags win out the season, they could potentially take first place in the MAAC with another Siena loss.

It looks to be a tough match-up but the Stags have the confidence and momentum of eight straight divisional wins driving them right now.

“We are taking each opponent one at a time, focusing offensively and defensively,” said Werneke. “We play Iona and then go up to Buffalo to play Canisius and Niagara, which is always a tough trip; hopefully we can get a win on the road.”

Whether or not the team can claim first place as its own remains to be seen, but there will not be much to worry about if the Stags continue to play the way they have as of late.