Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University volleyball team continued roll posting their eighth-straight win with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-19) victory against Loyola College this afternoon at Alumni Hall. With the win, the Stags improve to 10-9 overall and 8-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). 

Sophomore Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif./Mater Dei) led the Fairfield attack with 11 kills on .375 hitting along with five digs. Sophomore Alex Lopez (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) just missed a double-double registering a team-high 13 digs and nine kills. Junior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) posted eight kills on .467 hitting, along with seven digs, three blocks, and four service aces. 

Setter Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) had 31 assists, five digs, and four total blocks. Rookie Kendal Dirkin (Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park & River Forest) added five kills on .333 hitting and two blocks. 

Defensively, senior Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Baptist Academy) tallied 12 digs while freshman Haililani Pokipala (Honolulu, Hawaii/Sacred Hearts Academy) had 11 digs. Pokipala also had two kills. 

Fairfield hit .214 for the match while holding Loyola (4-17, 1-7 MAAC) to a .060 attack percentage. The Greyhounds out-blocked the Stags, 8-5. 

Fairfield controlled in the first set, hitting .375 with 12 kills and just two attack errors on 29 attempts while Loyola hit just .056. After the Stags opened an early 12-3 lead, they never looked back, going on to take the frame 25-15. 

The second set was much closer with 14 ties and eight lead changes. The Greyhounds were up 13-10 after a Nicole Scimeme kill but the Stags began to surge back. Mann tied the score 14-14 with an ace and then served the next four points to give Fairfield the 18-14 lead. Loyola bounced back, tying the score 20-20 on a Karlee Woodward kill. With the score tied 23-23, Mann put home a set from Balmert to give the Stags the lead. Balmert then followed with a kill of her own to give the Stags the 25-23 win. 

With the scored tied 10-10 in the third set, Fairfield went on a 10-2 run to secure the three-set victory. 

Woodward led Loyola with eight kills while Nina Camaioni had a match-high 18 digs. Brittany Born added 16 digs for the Greyhounds. 

Fairfield continues MAAC play next weekend travelling to St. Peter's on Oct. 18 and Iona on Oct. 19.