The current Fairfield Stags’ women’s volleyball team is one of the most dominant teams in the school’s history. With an 11-0 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and a 14-6 overall record, the Stags are having the program’s best season since the 1997 team won 11 straight – the same amount of consecutive matches the Stags have won this season.
The team lineup features the best player in the conference, Lindsey Lee, a junior from Hawaii. Fellow junior Jazmin Pa’akaula, who is also from Hawaii, is one of the best in the MAAC and was named MAAC Player of the Week this Monday.
The freshman class is also one of the best in school history, led by Barbie Thistle and Katie Mann. The two freshmen, both of whom are from California, have been named MAAC Rookie of the Week a combined six times in the course of the nine-week season. Mann was named Rookie of the Week this Monday.
Head Coach Jeff Werneke feels that Lee draws a lot of attention from opposing teams, which has allowed players like Pa’akaula, Mann and Thistle to step up and become important players.
“Lindsey gets a lot of attention and rightfully so,” said Werneke. “The opposing teams focus on her and game plan for her, which allows [Pa’akaula] to step up. She has played at a very high level all year and has taken advantage of the opportunity.”
“The freshmen have come in and performed up to the high expectations that we set for them. They have gotten stronger as the season has gone on and will continue to do so,” he added.
Pa’akaula agreed with her coach on the contributions of Mann and Thistle.
“The freshmen have impressed us with the immediate impact they have made. They bring an emotional and physical presence to the court. They play with high energy and have blended right in with the team,” she said.
This weekend was another undefeated weekend for the Stags as the team defeated both of its opponents, Niagara and Canisius, in 3-0 wins. The Stags have won their last five matches without losing a game and have shutout their opponents eight times during the 11-match winning streak.
The team’s freshmen led the way against Canisius on Saturday in Buffalo. Mann had 13 kills and a .520 hitting percentage, along with a career-high six total blocks. Thistle posted her fifth double double of the year with 45 assists and 10 digs. Lee led the match with 15 kills, and Pa’akaula finished just behind Lee with 10 kills.
The team won easily, 30-17 in the first game, but started slowly in the second, falling behind 15-9. But they charged back to tie the score at 26 before taking control and winning 30-28. The Stags then continued with strong play in the third game to win 30-19.
The game against Niagara was an even more impressive performance, as the Stags won 30-25, 30-15 and 30-12. Pa’akaula led the way, recording a season-high 20 kills, while Mann added a career high 14 kills. Mann was error-free on the day, recording a .737 hitting percentage and zero errors in 19 attempts.
Werneke said the team played excellent this weekend.
“We played consistently and at a very high level,” he said. “I could not ask for a better performance from the team.”
Pa’akaula agreed: “On a scale of one to 10, I would say we played at 9.5. It was a real team effort; everyone had something to contribute this weekend.”
Despite the stellar season, the Stags’ games are not drawing the amount of fan support one would expect.
The small amount of students attending games may be because volleyball is not a popular sport in the Northeast. Many students have never attended a volleyball match and, therefore, do not know anything about it.
It is also difficult for the team to compete for attention with other campus events and activities.
FUSA President Hutch Williams `08 is an avid supporter of the volleyball team and has attended every game this season. Williams believes that if students understood how exciting the games are to watch, more would attend.
“Volleyball is underestimated. If you have never been to a match, you would not understand it. But when you do, it really clicks,” said Williams. “To watch the girls play at the level that they do, it is phenomenal; this is a top quality team.”
“If you do not come to the games, you are missing out on one of the best shows on court,” Williams added.
Werneke agreed that students should come to the games and become part of the winning program.
“It is good to take pride in your school. Our ladies really do feed off of the energy that the crowd brings, and the atmosphere at Alumni Hall is electric when fans are in the building, said Werneke.
However, Roy Brown, Fairfield’s Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Fan Development, said it is the “job of the Athletic Department to expose non-traditional fans to volleyball.”
Brown feels that the level of support throughout the conference is low, which makes it difficult to draw fans into a sport that is already unpopular.
The attendance level is actually above the MAAC average, however, of about 90 fans per game. Fairfield averages 117 per game, which is behind only Canisius (145 per game), Manhattan (135 per game), and Iona (128 per game).
“We have to figure out how to engage to students to the sport. So far, giveaways work best. If that is the answer, then we will do more of that,” said Brown. “We feel that as more students come to the games, the affinity will grow. We will be cross-promoting the basketball and MAAC soccer championships with the volleyball team to encourage fans to come out to support all three teams.”
The volleyball team is at home next on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. against Iona, and is home for two final games on Nov. 3 and 4 to finish out the home season. Students are encouraged to support this winning program and see exciting games in person.
Remaining Schedule:
Thursday 10/26/06 vs. Iona at New Rochelle, N.Y. 7:00 PM
Saturday 10/28/06 vs. Marist at Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 2:00 PM
Sunday 10/29/06 vs. Siena at Fairfield, Conn. 2:00 PM
Friday 11/03/06 vs. Rider at Fairfield, Conn. 7:00 PM
Saturday 11/04/06 vs. Manhattan at Fairfield, Conn. 2:00 PM
Wednesday 11/08/06 vs. St. Peter’s at Jersey City, N.J. 7:00 PM
Saturday 11/11/06 vs. Loyola (Md) at Baltimore, Md. 2:00 PM
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