Over the past two weeks, the Fairfield women’s volleyball team played their first four out of nine MAAC conference match-ups. Currently in second place in the MAAC behind Iona, the next three weeks are crucial if the Stags hope to fulfill their hopes of a league championship or an automatic bid into the NCAA bracket.
“There has been ups and downs throughout the season, but overall we have transformed into the team that we have strived for all season,” said Natalie Barba ’07.
Head Coach Jeff Werneke is looking for the best out of his players in both practice and games as the season winds down.
“We’re talented across the board, but usually only two or three players really step-up each game,” said Werneke. “We’re just waiting to click all at once.”
And if there was a perfect time for everyone to “click all at once,” it will be during these final weeks.
The last five weeks of the schedule leading up to the MAAC playoffs are of utmost importance for the team, because only the top four seeds in the conference advance to the championships.
The Stags, who were ranked in the pre-season poll as No. 1, want to finish first in the conference, so that they will be matched with the fourth seed.
Despite having four players with double-digit kill tallies, the Stags fell to Canisius 3-2 in five hard fought games Saturday night. But the women came back on Sunday beating Niagara in three games, evening up the weekend road trip to upstate New York.
Werneke is still confident in his team’s ability and said that they are “still in control of the MAAC.”
The Stags defeated both Marist and Siena midway through October to register their first two MAAC victories.
Looking ahead, the toughest league game should be against current first place Iona College. Fairfield and Iona go head-to-head just one week before MAAC championship play begins.
“The whole team is extremely excited about the rest of the season and we are all ready to take the MAAC,” said Elizabeth Strawn ’09.
Fairfield is presently 12-12 overall and 3-1 in the MAAC, and has not really gotten into a winning streak all season. The closest they got to a streak was a couple of back-to-back matches two times this season.
“This season we’ve been through some ups and downs…we haven’t won all the games that we should have, but we’ve taken something different from every game and we’re using it to put us in better situations now,” said Jazmin Pa’akaula ’08.
Werneke also feels that “learning from past experiences, good and bad, helps to elevate our game in all aspects.”
Although this weekend features two home matches against eighth place Loyola and ninth place Rider, Werneke and his team are not taking these games lightly. Prior to Saturday’s final home game versus Loyola, Fairfield will honor their three graduating seniors: Lauren Laramore, Casey Machon and Alex Fox.
Loyola also has two graduating seniors from neighboring Stratford, Conn. and one senior from Trumbull, Conn.
“It will be our senior night, but it will be a big homecoming for them too,” said Werneke.
Leave a Reply