Fairfield volleyball went on the road to New York this past weekend, taking down both Iona and Manhattan to start 2-0 in conference play.
Matched up first with Iona on Saturday afternoon, the Stags found themselves in a game of runs, as both teams traded leads throughout the first set, and continued to rip off long stretches of points throughout the rest of the match. After seven total lead changes in the opening frame, it was a late four point burst from the Stags that proved decisive, ignited by kills from outside hitter Mikayla Haut ‘25 and middle blocker Emma Beretich ‘27.
The momentum from the 25-22 win was carried over into the second set for the Stags, who used a dominant stretch taking 10 of 11 points in the middle of the period to coast to a 25-14 advantage. The Gaels would fight back in a hotly contested third set, putting down 18 kills and limiting the Stags to just .163 hitting en route to their lone point of the match.
Ultimately, Fairfield would claim the match in the fourth set thanks to a 17 kill frame, their best of the match.
Four players for the Stags notched a double-double in the contest, led by Haut’s team high 12 kills and 16 digs. Outside hitter Allie Elliott ‘26 added 10 kills and 10 digs of her own, and Blakely Montgomery ‘25 and Abby Jandro ‘26 each contributed over 20 assists and 10 digs from the setter position.
Then on Sunday, the Stags arrived in Manhattan and put together an historic offensive performance on their way to a 3-0 sweep. The team’s .412 hitting percentage was its highest in a game since 2021, and the best of any MAAC squad since Rider in the 2022 Conference Tournament.
Haut again paced the team with 12 kills, followed by graduate outside hitter Janna Schlageter who had 10 kills on .625 hitting. Right side hitter Mamie Krubally ‘27 also reached double digits with 10 kills of her own.
The Stags led the Jaspers in every major category on the stat sheet, developing considerable margins in kills (51-29), assists (50-28), and service aces (9-3).
After being battle tested in the non conference portion of their schedule, the weekend sweep was a very encouraging sign for the Stags as they look to defend their title in the MAAC this fall.
Fairfield returns home for three games this week, beginning with a Wednesday night date with crosstown rivals and MAAC rookies Sacred Heart. First serve is set for 7 P.M. in Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
