That’s why they say you can’t win them all.
Fairfield volleyball’s history has been filled with MAAC victories.
From 1997 through 2001, Fairfield won the MAAC Championship and competed in the NCAA tournament.
Throughout the years, their record has been stellar during the regular season, but just short in the MAAC tournament. The pattern held true for the 2006 squad.
The Stags lost to No. 2 Siena in the 2006 MAAC Championship for the second year in a row (30-24, 30-25, 21-30, 15-30, 15-12), putting an end to their perfect season and to their hopes of an appearance in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Despite “the sting of losing in the finals,” Head Coach Jeff Werneke is very proud of his team and all it has accomplished.
He noted that when the team executes well, “we not only win, we dominate within the conference.”
Entering the finals the Stags had won 20 straight matches, including two playoff wins versus Iona and Manhattan in the early rounds.
They went 18-0 in the MAAC and were the No. 1 seed.
Throughout the season, juniors Lindsey Lee and Jazmin Pa’akaula led the way, leading the team in both offensive and defensive categories. Lee posted an attack percentage of .268 and averaged 4.06 digs per game, while Pa’akaula hit .253 and notched 3.02 digs per game.
The Stags also had a strong supporting cast, with solid play up and down the lineup.
The team hoped to build off its great performance in the semifinal round, where it beat Manhattan 30-19, 30-22 and 30-13, falling behind only once in the entire match. The shutout marked the 16th 3-0 victory in the team’s 20-match winning streak.
Up against Siena 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 upper hand.
Just like during the regular season, all six players on the court contributed-ultimately forcing the match to a game five.
When asked about what stood out during the final match, 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 [stepped] up,” he said, viewing the Stags’ resiliency as testament of a “true program” and a “true total effort.”
Senior Natalie Barba, who has dealt with several heartbreaking championship losses, agreed.
“[T]his year was different,” said Barba. “The heart and intensity that was left on the court was undeniably the most emotion I have seen our team play with. We struggled and succeeded but in the end it didn’t go in our favor.”
Over the last several seasons, despite their inability to clinch an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, within the MAAC Fairfield volleyball has proven that it is a force to be reckoned with.
The Stags have won the last three MAAC regular season championships and have made it to the finals three years running. This year they beat every conference opponent not once, but twice, achieving a perfect 18-0 in the MAAC.
For Werneke, the message is clear.
“We are an elite program within the conference,” he said. “[O]ur expectations for the players and within themselves is to be successful and win every match.”
With a core of talented young players, the Stags have a strong foundation for years to come. It remains to be seen whether this foundation will be strong enough to achieve what this year’s team could not.
Next year they will return five of their six starters: Lee, Pa’akaula, Kelly Oliver ’08, Barbie Thistle ’10 and Katie Mann ’10.
To ensure success, Werneke said the Stags will continue to play a rigorous non-conference schedule and to develop players already in the program.
“With hard work, good things will happen,” he added.
In just five seasons as Head Coach, Werneke has built a competitive team and put Fairfield volleyball on the map.
Barba could not agree more, noting the turnaround in her four years on the team.
“My freshman year we had a 7-23 record, now our record is 23-7. That is entirely due to [Coach Werneke’s] coaching and bringing in good people as well as good volleyball players,” remarked Barba.
For now, Werneke is not dwelling on the past and is optimistic about a future that “looks very bright.”
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