Leading by example

Any athlete, even an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) player, has a day like junior Katie Mann had on Saturday against Canisius.

But it’s the days like Sunday ‘s effort against Niagara that separate Mann from the average player and truly illustrate her importance to the Stags’ prospects at a MAAC title.

The Stags rebounded from a lackluster 3-0 loss to Canisius on Saturday afteroon with a dominant 3-1 victory over Niagara a day later in Buffalo, N.Y.

Mann’s efforts correlated with Fairfield’s. Following eight kills against the Golden Griffs, the junior standout erupted for 16 kills and converted nearly half of her attempts (.484 hitting percentage) against Niagara merely twenty-four hours later.

Mann, who was named the MAAC’s Player of the Week for the second time this season and the sixth time in her collegiate career, also added a season-high of seven total blocks, as well as four aces and six kills.

In addition to her leadership among a roster full of underclassmen, Mann’s impressive season is moving her into the ranks of the program’s most distinguished players.

Currently, Mann falls one block assist short of Corrine Carlson’ ’00 for third on the all-time list. She is also rapidly approaching the 1000 kill plateau, a feat only reached by nine players in Fairfield history.

Still, the team’s emphasis lies solely on its upcoming schedule, including a rematch against defending MAAC champion Siena this Sunday at Alumni Hall.

‘(Siena) is like any other team right now,’ head coach Alija Pittenger said. ‘To be honest, the MAAC seems pretty evenly matched. There are a lot of teams winning games.’