Box Score

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - The Fairfield University volleyball team returned to its winnings ways on Friday night with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) victory at Rider University. Sophomore Alex Lopez (Fort Collins, Colo.) notched her third straight double-double to help the Stags improve to 12-10 overall and 10-1 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). 

Lopez finished the night with 13 kills and 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Rookie Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa.) registered her sixth double-double of the year with 37 assists and 10 digs. She also had four total blocks. Senior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn.) recorded 13 digs and nine kills, just missing a double-double.

Sophomore Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif.) also added nine kills on .381 hitting while junior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif.) recorded eight kills and five total blocks.

The first set featured 12 ties and 6 lead changes. Rider (9-12, 2-9 MAAC) was hanging on to a 21-20 lead when Hughes tied things up with kill. Behind the service of Urbaniak, the Stags rattled off the next four points for the 25-21 win.

Fairfield was down by four points in the second set when the Stags went on a 5-1 run, which was capped off by a Balmert ace, to take a 16-15 lead. Like the first frame, the two teams continued to go back-and-forth the rest of the way. The Stags once again trailed 21-20 when Hughes tied the set with a kill. This time, with freshman Haililani Pokipala (Honolulu, Hawaii) at the line, Fairfield notched the final four points of the frame, which included pairs of kills from both Lopez and Mann, for the 25-21 win.

Rider opened a 12-8 lead to start the third frame when Urbaniak stopped the run with a kill. Senior Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii) then stepped to the line and served six straight points to give Fairfield a 15-12 lead. After a pair of attack errors by the Broncs, Hughes gave Fairfield a four-point advantage with back-to-back kills. Rider surged back tying the set 20-20 after a Stags attack error. Lopez put Fairfield back on top with a kill and Balmert served the final four points of the match for the third 25-21 victory of the night.

Higa had 11 digs while Pokipala chipped in with six digs. Freshman Kendal Dirkin (Oak Park, Ill.) posted six kills on .429 hitting. For Rider, Lindsay Bryant had a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs.

Fairfield hit .277 for the match and out-blocked Rider 6-3.

Fairfield returns to action tomorrow, Oct. 25, as it hosts Saint Peter's at 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall. The Stags will host non-conference for Northeastern on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 4 p.m.