It’s sad to say that soon the women’s volleyball season will be coming to a close. They’ve gone 15-11 in the season thus far, and on Saturday and Sunday, the team will be playing their last few matches against Niagara University and Canisius College at 1:00 p.m., respectively. The Sunday match will be Senior Day, the last regular season home game for the six graduating players on the team.
While this day for seniors on sports teams is always sad, they have accomplished a lot over their four years, including two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships, and will be taking on the real world with plenty of experience and strength.
Six players will be leaving the team after this season who have played very crucial roles for the team and have made it big. These players include seniors Camille Coffey, Lindsay Weaver, Caitlin Stapleton and Marilyn Peizer, as well as graduate student Carsen Mata and Maddie FitzPatrick, who is a senior academically and will not be returning to the team next year.
“Sunday is going to be super emotional because we are such a close team. It’s going to be so special,” Weaver said.
Carsen Mata
Mata is a graduate student who is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, and plays as a setter for the Stags. Last season, she appeared in 32 matches in 119 sets and had 488 digs, 231 assists and 21 aces. Though this co-captain is currently playing as a graduate student, Mata is in her final year of eligibility with the volleyball team.
Mata has had a great overall experience on and off the court. “I’ve been able to make really close friends and had the opportunity to go to two National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, which was a once in a lifetime opportunity. It has been pretty awesome,” Mata said.
Camille Coffey
Coffey is an outside hitter who appeared in all 32 matches and all 119 sets last year with 242 digs and 20 aces. She joined the Stags all the way from her home of Sierra Madre, Calif. She is one of a select group of players who have reached the 1,000 dig club.
“I think we really have become a family because of everything we have done on and off the court together,” Coffey said. “This really is my family away from home.”
Lindsay Weaver
Weaver is a middle blocker for Fairfield who played in 59 sets last year, and ended with a total of 82 kills that season. She also obtained 52 blocks and 64 digs. Weaver has helped the team gain two MAAC Championships.
“My transitioning here was rough in the beginning. A lot of the reason why I stayed is because of the coaches and because of my teammates,” said Weaver. “My four-year experience has really impacted me as an individual and not just a volleyball player.”
Maddie FitzPatrick
While FitzPatrick is actually a junior, she is academically a senior and playing her last year of volleyball as a middle blocker and as a co-captain for the Stags. “It’s has certainly been a roller coaster ride. But overall, it has been a really big blessing because it’s given us a great education,” FitzPatrick said. She obtained 82 kills and 51 total blocks last season for the Stags.
“Our class has been in three out of the four championship games and hopefully going to be in the fourth. Looking back, it just feels like such a great accomplishment,” FitzPatrick said.
Caitlin Stapleton
Caitlin is from Milford, Conn. and plays as a right side. She appeared in 32 matches last year and played in 117 sets, ending with a career-best 81 total blocks and 296 kills. In 2012, Stapleton was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Player of the Week and MAAC Player of the Week. She is one of a rare group of players who have reached the 1,000 kill club.
Though she was forced to sit out the early part of her final season, she was able to overcome and make the best of her senior year.
“I broke my hand in preseason and was originally told that I was out for the season. I thought my volleyball career was over,” said Stapleton. “When I got a second opinion, I was told that I would only be in a cast for three weeks. I have been making the very best of every second I have left to play.”
Marilyn Peizer
Peizer is an outside hitter who played in 32 matches and 117 sets last year and ended with 157 digs and 55 blocks. Over her four years, Peizer has been on the All-MAAC First Team, as well as multiple MAAC All-Academic teams.
“My senior season helped me transition from college student to young professional,” said Peizer. “I am sad to leave, but eager to take on the world with the lessons I have learned here.”
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