Box Score

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Three Stags posted double-doubles while five others were in double figures to help power the Fairfield University volleyball team to a 3-2 (25-16, 26-24, 23-25, 22-25, 15-8) win over Marist College this evening. With the victory, the Stags improve to 3-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and 5-9 overall while the Red Foxes fall to 1-2 in the league and 6-10 overall.  

Sophomore Alex Lopez (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) posted her third double-double of the year with a team-high 19 kills and 20 digs. She also hit .317 on the night. Senior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn./Mabel-Canton) also recorded her third double-double with 10 kills and 18 digs. Rookie Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) had her fifth double-double of the season with a career-high 57 assists and 12 digs. Balmert also tallied four blocks and four kills. 

Defensively, senior Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Baptist Academy) registered 32 digs. It is the second time this season in which Higa has notched 30-plus digs. She set the Fairfield single match record with 34 against Towson on Sept. 13. Freshman Haililani Pokipala (Honolulu, Hawaii/Sacred Hearts Academy) added a career-best 12 digs. 

Junior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) had an excellent night for the Stags posting a season-high 14 kills on .414 hitting, committing just two errors in 29 attempts. Mann also had a career-high five service aces along with five total blocks. 

Sophomore Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) and freshman Kendal Dirkin (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park& River Forest) each chipped in with 11 kills. 

Fairfield hit .266 for the match while Marist hit .203. The Stags held a 70-56 advantage in kills, a 99-71 advantage in digs. Blocks were even at 7-7 while aces were even at nine apiece.

Marist trailed by as much as three in the first set but pulled within 17-16 on a block by Lindsey Schmid and Kelsey Schaefer. Fairfield held off the Red Foxes going on an 8-0 run to close out the set.

The two teams battled in the second set, with eight ties. With the score tied 23-23, Marist earned a point after a service error. Lopez, however, staved off set point with a kill and Mann delivered back-to-back service aces to give Fairfield the 26-24.

Marist opened up a 24-18 lead in the third set and was on the verge of set point when Fairfield went on an impressive 5-0 run, which included three kills and a block by Mann. The run fell short as the set ended after a Fairfield service error.

The fourth frame was also a back-and-forth battle with seven ties. With the score sitting at 19-19, the Red Foxes used a 3-0 spurt to gain some ground. Fairfield cut the gap to 22-21 on a kill by Urbaniak but Marist closed out the set on a 3-1 run to even the match.

Fairfield controlled in the deciding set, starting the stanza on a 7-2 run which was capped off by a pair of kills from Lopez. The Stags never looked back, coming away with the 15-8 victory.

Fairfield returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 28 hosting Iona at 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall. The first 100 fans will receive schedule posters and all fans have the opportunity to meet the Stags during a post-match autograph session. The contest against the Gaels' will be the Stags' first of three matches streamed live on www.fairfieldstags.com. For more information, click here.