Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - There's never a dull moment in Alumni Hall when Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rival Siena College comes to town. Today was no exception as the Fairfield University volleyball team topped Siena, 3-2 (26-24, 25-21, 18-25, 20-25, 15-12), and junior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif.) notched her 1,000th career kill. With the win, the Stags remain atop the MAAC with a 14-2 league record and a 17-12 mark overall while the Saints fall to 13-3 in the conference and 16-12 on the year.

Mann had an impressive day with a season-high 22 kills, just one shy of her career-best, and pushed her career total to 1,014 kills. She is the tenth Stag to reach career milestone and is just the third Stag in program history to have more than 1,000 kills and 300 total blocks to her credit.

In addition to Mann's offense, sophomore Alex Lopez (Fort Collins, Colo.) posted her 11th double-double of the season with 17 kills and 17 digs while senior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn.) notched her sixth double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif.) added 12 kills on .312 hitting while freshman Kendal Dirkin (Oak Park, Ill.) recorded six kills. Setter Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa.) finished with 55 assists, six kills, and seven digs.

Defensively, senior Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii) and freshman Haililani Pokipala (Honolulu, Hawaii) each recorded 15 digs. Pokipala also tallied a career-high five service aces.

Both teams put forth strong attacks in the first two sets. In the first frame, Fairfield hit .444 with just one attack error while Siena hit .333. Despite the hot hitting, the Stags found themselves trailing late, 24-21. With game point on the line, Lopez slammed home a kill to prompt a Siena timeout. After the break, Urbaniak registered a kill of her own to make the score, 24-23. With the score knotted at 24-24 after a Saints error, Balmert posted a service to give the Stags the lead. Dirkin then closed things out with a kill for the 26-24 win.

In the second set, Fairfield continued to hit well posting a .485 attack percentage while Siena hit .464 in the back-and-forth battle. The Stags trailed by three early, but came back to take a 15-14 lead on Mann's 1,000th kill. The two teams then continued to trade points. While holding on to a 20-19 lead, Mann came through with another big kill to spark a 5-2 run and give Fairfield its second win of the day.

Siena overcame early deficits in the third and fourth stanzas to prompt a fifth and deciding set. In the fifth set, Fairfield opened up an early 10-7 lead, but Siena closed the gap, 10-9, on a kill by Kelly Hummel. The Stags bounced backed and rattled off the next four points for the 14-9 lead. The Saints did not back down using a run of their own to pull within 14-12 after a block. Fittingly, Mann stopped the run and gave the Stags the win with her 22nd kill of the day.

For Siena, Burgandy McCurty finished with a double-double which included a match-high 32 kills and 19 digs. April London also had a double-double with 60 assists and 12 digs while Kau'i Robello posted a double-double with 13 kills and 17 digs.

Fairfield hit .308 for the match while Siena hit .337. The Stags out-blocked the Saints, 6-5. Five out of the last six meetings between Fairfield and Siena have gone to five sets.

Fairfield wraps up the regular season next weekend. The Stags travel to Loyola on Nov. 15 before returning home to host Manhattan on Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall. Prior to the match, the Stags will honor their senior class.