Win every match. Improve every match.
These two goals of the Fairfield volleyball team were achieved as they shut out Niagara in three straight games (30-22, 30-13, 30-15) Saturday night in Alumni Hall.
A crowd of 150 people cheered the Stags to victory, helping improve the team’s record to 4-0 in the MAAC and 7-6 overall.
Head Coach Jeff Werneke said he was very excited about the win and feels the team is headed in a positive direction.
“We are only going to get better. Composure and competitiveness are getting better,” he said.
Leading the Stags were Lindsey Lee ’08 and Jazmin Pa’akaula ’08 who each posted doubles for the night. Lee came out strong with a match-high 12 kills and 16 digs, making this her eighth double of the season. Pa’akaula also helped the Stags with 11 kills and 12 digs.
“I thought we started off slow,” said Lee of the opening game, “But we really picked it up and saw a big improvement in the second and third games.”
Lauren Campbell ’08 was a big factor in this change of pace. Campbell posted eight kills and a match-high of four blocks for the Stags. Barbie Thistle ’10 also had a strong showing with 34 assists, six digs and four kills.
“I am really glad we picked it up in the second half to show them what kind of team we were,” Thistle said. “We had awesome blocking and were really strong on defense.”
The Stags’ defense held Niagara to a .024 hitting percentage while out-blocking them 8-5 and posting a 54-42 lead on overall digs. Contributing to this strong defense was Brandi Higa ’09, whose services started off the third game 8-1 and tallied 12 digs for the night.
Aside from the team’s talent, Werneke attributes the solid game to the large, supportive crowd.
“The kids feed off of it,” Werneke said. “It is a great environment; we really enjoy playing at home.”
Lee agreed that the fans “helped out so much.” “It is really encouraging as a team to have such a large crowd,” she said.
The Stags’ win every match and improve every match mindset will stay strong throughout the MAAC season.
“We have really improved as a team, especially in Hawaii,” Lee said. “There is no stopping us now.”
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