That’s why they say, you can’t win them all.
However, for Fairfield volleyball, they almost did.
The Stags lost to # 2 Siena in the 2006 MAAC Championship on Saturday afternoon (30-24, 30-25, 21-30, 15-30, 15-12), ending their hopes of a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Coming into the finals, the Stags had won 20 straight matches, including two playoff wins versus Iona and Manhattan earlier this week. They went 18-0 in the MAAC and were the # 1 seed.
When asked about what stood out during the match, despite the heartbreaking loss, Stags Head Coach Jeff Werneke had nothing but good things to say about his squad.
“I think it’s just the way we worked together as a team and everybody steps up,” said Werneke, viewing the Stags’ performance as testament of a “true program” and a “true total effort.”
The Stags hoped to build off their strong showing in the semifinal round, where they beat Manhattan 30-19, 30-22 and 30-13, falling behind only once in the entire game. The shutout marked the 16th 3-0 victory in their 20-match winning streak.
On Saturday however, the Stags dropped the first two games, putting them in the hole early on. They fought back to win the next two, but fell behind early in the fifth game.
Despite coming within two points of Siena at 10-8, the Stags could not gain the advantage.
Werneke nonetheless was very proud of his team’s resiliency.
He said that the Stags demonstrated “a lot of character coming back.”
“That just shows the fortitude and courage of the kids in the program,” added Werneke.
Next week, the Stags play two non-conference matches at the Thanksgiving Classic in Ohio. They will square off against Valparaiso University and Miami of Ohio, both strong teams like Fairfield.
Werneke is not dwelling on the past and is already optimistic about the upcoming Classic:
“It will be the official start of the 2007 season.”
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