JAMAICA, N.Y. -  Three Stags recorded double-doubles in a very close match against Virginia Tech, but Fairfield (0-5) could not edge the undefeated Hokies, falling, 3-1 (25-30, 30-27, 27-30, 29-31) this morning in the opening match of the St. John's Invitational.

Seniors Kelly Oliver (San Diego, Calif./La Jolla) and Ashley Hanohano (Hilo, Hawaii, St. Joseph) along with junior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn./Mabel-Canton) were responsible for the Stags' double-doubles. Oliver posted 14 kills and 14 digs while Urbaniak tallied 14 kills and a career-high 16 digs. Hanohano notched 18 assists and 14 digs.

Sophomore Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) and rookie Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) also played well for the Stags. Mann posted 15 kills along with six digs and two aces while Hughes was just shy of her first career double-double with 10 digs and nine kills.

Fairfield held a 72-71 advantage in kills and edged out the Hokies in digs, 101-100. Fairfield's digs tie for the ninth-highest single match total in program history. Virginia Tech out-blocked the Stags, 9-5.

Virginia Tech led game one from the start opening up an early 10-5 lead on an ace by Michelle Lang. The Hokies were able to maintain their advantage throughout the game despite several comebacks from the Stags. Virginia Tech hung on for the 30-25 win.

Game two was a back-and-forth battle with 17 ties and seven lead changes. With the scored knotted at 17-17, a kill and then a solo block by Oliver gave Fairfield a two-point advantage. After exchanging the next several points, Virginia Tech tied the game, 21-21, with a block and then took the lead on a kill by Amy Wengrenovich. Freshman Alex Lopez (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) tied the game on the next play with a kill. The two teams would tie three more times before the score rested at 27-27. A service error by the Hokies returned the lead to the Stags. Fairfield then put the game away on a kill by senior Lauren Campbell (San Diego, Calif./Mount Carmel) and then a block by both Urbaniak and Campbell.

Fairfield led in the early going of game three, but Virginia Tech came back to pull ahead 9-8 on a kill by Taylor Parrish. The Hokies extended the margin to 19-12 on a Stags attack error, but Fairfield would use an 8-0 run to tie the match at 19-19. The two teams would tie again at 22-22 but back-to-back aces by Lang gave Virginia Tech a 24-22 lead that they would not relinquish.

The Stags came out strong in game four, opening a 14-7 gap on a kill by Urbaniak., but the Hokies would claw back, going on an 11-4 run to tie the match 18-18. Fairfield would regain its lead on a kill by Mann and pull out to a 27-24 advantage. Virginia Tech used another run, this time a 5-0 burst, to take a 29-28 lead. The Stags were able to hold off match point, tying the game 29-29 on a kill by Mann. The Hokies, however, got back-to-back kills from Kristen Cunningham and Lang to take the match.

Campbell had seven kills for the Stags while sophomore Barbie Thistle (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) had 31 assists and three total blocks. Defensively, junior Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Baptist Academy) had 24 digs while Lopez had 11 digs along with four kills.

For the Hokies, Jen Albrecht led the way with a match-high 16 kills while Wengrenovich (15 kills, 19 digs) and Parrish (10 kills, 17 digs) had double-doubles. Cunningham and Felicia Willoughby each added 11 kills apiece.

Fairfield faces No. 24 Long Beach State at 5 p.m. this evening followed by match-ups against St. John's at noon and NJIT at 5 p.m. on Saturday.