Box Score

RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Fairfield University volleyball team improved to 2-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-16) win at Manhattan College this afternoon. The Stags improve to 4-9 overall while the Jaspers fall to 0-8 on the season and 0-1 in league play. 

Sophomore Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) led the attack for the second match in a row, posting 11 kills. Junior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines), meanwhile, picked up seven kills on eight attempts and did not commit an error. She also added six total blocks and six digs. Setter Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) was also errorless, collecting five kills on 11 attempts, in addition to 29 assists, five digs, and two blocks. 

Senior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn./Mabel-Canton) had 10 digs and five total blocks while freshman Kendal Dirkin (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park & River Forest) added seven kills and four digs. 

Fairfield hit .273 for the match while Manhattan hit just .118. The Stags also out-blocked the Jaspers, 7-3. 

In the opening frame, Fairfield pushed out to a 14-7 lead. Manhattan's Sherryta Stokes sparked a 7-3 burst to pull the Jaspers within 17-14 but the Stags were able to hold off the attack for the 25-19 win. 

In the second set, Fairfield was clinging to a 7-6 lead when Hughes ignited an important 4-1 run, which was capped off by a Balmert kill, to give the Stags an 11-7 advantage. Manhattan cut the gap to 17-15 on a solo block by Jackie Kapovich, but Fairfield closed out the set on an 8-3 tear. 

In the third set, the two teams were tied 8-8 when Urbaniak put home a set from Balmert to start a 5-1 run. After a Manhattan timeout, the Stags pushed its lead to 18-11 and never looked back. Fairfield hit .433 committing just one attack error in 30 chances in the frame. 

Fairfield continues MAAC play next week travelling to Marist on Sept. 25 before returning home to host Iona on Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall. The contest against the Gaels' will be the Stags' first of three matches streamed live on www.fairfieldstags.com. For more information, click here.