Box Score

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Sophomore Alex Lopez (Fort Collins, Colo.) and senior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn.) each posted double-doubles to help lift the Fairfield University volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-17) victory over Saint Peter's College this afternoon. With the victory, the Stags (11-9, 9-0 MAAC) extend their winning streak to nine matches and remain undefeated in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

Lopez forged her fifth double-double of the year with 10 kills and 14 digs. Urbaniak posted her fourth double-double of the year with a 11 digs and a season-high 15 kills. Urbaniak also hit a season-best .464 for the match.

Senior Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii) led the way defensively with a match-high 16 digs. Rookie Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa.) added 30 assists, six digs, and four aces while classmate Kendal Dirkin (Oak Park, Ill.) chipped in with six kills and three block assists.

With the score knotted at 9-9 in the first frame, Fairfield went on a crucial 7-1 run to gain ground. The Peahens (11-12, 5-4 MAAC) cut the gap to 23-19 on a kill by Renata Bauer, but the Stags held them off for the 25-20 win.

Saint Peter's chipped away at an early five-point deficit to tie the second set, 15-15. They then took the lead on a block by Bauer and Stephanie Phillips on the next serve. The Peahens extended their lead to 19-16 after a series of Fairfield errors, but the Stags surged back to retie the score, 19-19. With Saint Peter's clinging to a 23-22 lead, Lopez stepped up and delivered three straight kills to give Fairfield the victory.

It was all Fairfield at the start of the third stanza as the Stags pushed out to a 12-3 lead. The Peahens pulled within 14-12, but a Balmert kill ignited a 5-0 Fairfield run and the Stags never looked back.

Fairfield hit .231 for the match while Saint Peter's hit .111. The Peahens out-blocked the Stags, 7-4, but Fairfield held an 8-5 advantage in service aces.

Sophomore Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif.) had seven kills and four digs on the day while junior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif.) recorded five kills. Freshman Haililani Pokipala (Honolulu, Hawaii) added eight digs.

Fairfield's nine-match winning streak ties a mark set by the 2004 squad and is the eighth longest all-time. Last season, the Stags notched 10- and seven-match winning streaks during the course of the year.

Fairfield returns to action tomorrow, Oct. 19, with a trip to Iona to wrap up the season series with the Gaels.