Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University volleyball team captured the 2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Regular Season crown outright with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 26-24) win against Manhattan College in the regular season finale at Alumni Hall this afternoon. The Stags (19-12, 16-2 MAAC) have captured at least a share of the last five regular season titles.

Freshman Kendal Dirkin (Oak Park, Ill.) posted a career-high 12 kills with no errors for an attack percentage of .750 to go along with four blocks to lead the Stags.  Freshman Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa.) notched her tenth double-double of the season with 31 assists and 10 digs.

Sophomore Alex Lopez (Fort Collins, Colo.) added nine kills, seven digs, and three blocks while junior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif.) had eight kills and three total blocks.

The Stags battled back from a four-point deficit in the first set to take a 15-14 lead on a kill by Balmert. After trading points, a Manhattan attack error gave Fairfield a 17-16 advantage. Dirkin followed with a pair of kills to give the Stags a three-point lead. Fairfield went on to close out the set on a 5-0 run for the 25-20 win.

After a close start in the second stanza, the Stags opened up a 19-14 lead on a kill by sophomore Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif.). The Jaspers would pull within 23-20 but kills by Lopez and Balmert would win the set for the Stags.

Manhattan (11-17, 10-8 MAAC) trailed by as much as eight points in the third frame but came back to tie the set. Trailing 20-14, the Jaspers went on a 7-1 run to knot the score 21-21 on an ace by Andrea Reiff. A kill by Sherryta Stokes gave Manhattan a 24-22 lead but the Stags were able to hold off match point. Fairfield tied things up, 24-24, on a Hughes kill. Hughes then put the Stags on top, 25-24, with a kill while Mann followed with a kill of her own to secure the 26-24 win for the Stags.

Hughes finished with six kills while freshman Haililani Pokipala (Honolulu, Hawaii) chipped in with three aces and six digs. Senior Karlie Urbaniak (Canton, Minn.) finished with five kills, six digs, and four assists while classmate Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii) tallied 10 digs on Senior Day.

Fairfield hit .269 for the match while Manhattan hit .176. The Jaspers out-blocked the Stags 8-7. For Manhattan, Stokes finished with a double-double which included a match-high 17 kills and 11 digs.

Fairfield, winners of five-straight matches, will head into next weekend's MAAC Championship as the top seed. The Stags will face fourth-seeded Iona in the semifinals on Nov. 23 in Loudonville, N.Y. Siena College, the tournament host, will face third-seeded Canisius College in the other semifinal match. For complete tournament coverage, visit MAAC Championship Central.