Fairfield Shuts Down Rider 3-0 to Win Eighth Straight
Nov 8, 2007
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - The Fairfield University volleyball team won its eighth straight match and 15th consecutive outing over a conference opponent with a 3-0 (30-26, 30-20, 31-29) victory at Rider University this evening. With the win, the Stags completed the season sweep of the Broncs (2-25, 0-17 MAAC) and improved to 19-10 overall and 16-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
Senior Kelly Oliver (San Diego, Calif./La Jolla) registered her fourth double-double in a row with a 12-kill, 12-dig performance. Sophomore Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) posted her third double-double of the year with 13 kills and a career-best 13 digs. Mann had an impeccable day hitting by notching a .364 attack percentage while committing just one error in 33 chances. She also added four total blocks.
Sophomore Barbie Thistle (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) just missed a double-double, finishing with 43 assists and nine digs along with four kills and four total blocks.
Junior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn./Mabel-Canton) added nine kills on .381 hitting while rookie Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) chipped in with eight kills on .300 hitting and six digs. Senior Jazmin Pa'akaula (Hilo, Hawaii/St. Joseph), the reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Week, had a match-high 13 digs.
The Stags hit a collective .280 while holding the Broncs to an attack percentage of .164. Fairfield also out-blocked Rider, 6-4.
Fairfield made a statement early, opening a 17-9 lead to start game one. After Oliver put the Stags up 27-20 with a kill, the Broncs mounted a small comeback pulling within three points. Fairfield regrouped after a called timeout and took game one, 30-26.
The start of game two mirrored the first frame as Fairfield opened another 17-9 lead. Fairfield pushed its lead to 26-16 when Rider used a 4-0 spurt to cut the gap to six points. That's as close as the Broncs would get as Mann sparked a decisive 4-0 run for the 30-20 win.
Rider gained the upper hand early in game three by taking a 14-10 lead. The Stags stormed back, getting a run started on a kill by Hughes. Mann followed with a pair of kills her own while Thistle tied the game, 14-14, with a kill. With the scored tied 19-19, Urbaniak put home a set from Thistle to ignite a 5-1 run by Fairfield. The Broncs fought back using a run of their own to knot the match, 26-26, on an ace by Katrina Stehle. The two teams battled back and forth until a kill by Mann and ace by junior Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Baptist Academy) gave the Stags a 31-29 win.
The Stags, winners of 18 of their last 20 matches, will play one more match before the 2007 MAAC Championship as they head to Marist on Nov. 10. Fairfield will host the MAAC Championship, Nov. 18-19, at Alumni Hall. The semifinals will be held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Nov. 18, while the final will be played on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. and will air live on ESPNU.
