Box Score

BUFFALO, N.Y. - The top-seeded Fairfield University volleyball team was upset by fourth-seeded Marist College 3-2 (25-21, 13-25, 25-19, 23-25, 11-15) in the semifinals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship. It is the first time in five years that the Stags will not appear in the MAAC final as they finish the year with a 19-12 overall record.

In her final match as a Stag, senior Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif.) tallied 14 kills on .448 hitting with two total blocks and two aces. She was named to the MAAC All-Tournament team for the third-straight year. Mann finishes her career as the Fairfield record holder in attack percentage (.361) and block assists (349). She is among the top-ten in numerous categories, including being second all-time in total blocks (408) and third in kills (1,486). She's the only Stag to have more than 400 blocks and 1,400 kills in a career.

Junior Lauren Hughes (Costa Mesa, Calif.) notched 13 kills for the Stags while freshman Brianna Dixion (Long Beach, Calif.) had nine kills and seven digs. Sophomore Haililani Pokipala (Honolulu, Hawaii) added seven kills, seven digs, and three aces.

Sophomore Lauren Balmert (Cranberry Twp., Pa.) finished with 35 assists and six digs while sophomore Alexandra Ferraco (San Marino, Calif.) had six kills and three total blocks. Freshman libero Kara Reis (Ramona, Calif.) tallied 22 digs while Stephanie Cruz (Midland Park, N.J.) had eight.

With the score knotted at 8-8 in the first set, the Stags went on a 6-1 run to pull away from the Red Foxes. A kill by Ferraco put Fairfield on top 15-10 and prompted Marist's second time out of the set. Out of the break, the Red Foxes surged back to pull within 16-15 on a kill by Lindsey Schmid. Marist tied the score 16-16 on another kill by Schmid and took the lead after a Fairfield attack error. The Stags fought back and tied the score 18-18 on a kill by Hughes that dropped in the back corner. After a Marist attack error, Pokipala posted consecutive aces to put Fairfield ahead 21-18 and the Stags held on for the 25-21 win.

Marist jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the second set behind the service of Emily Brosky. The Red Foxes continued its push, opening up a 10-5 lead to force a Fairfield timeout. The Stags pulled within 10-8 on a tap by Ferraco, but the Red Foxes posted three straight points to return its lead to five points. Marist continued to roll taking its biggest lead of the set, 19-9, after a series of Fairfield errors. Dixion stopped the run with a kill to the opposite corner, but Marist maintained a 21-10 advantage. The Stags posted three unanswered points, but the Red Foxes closed out the set on a 4-0 run.

Hughes stepped up in the third frame, notching seven kills on .750 hitting. Fairfield trailed by two in the early in the set but used a 7-0 run, which included four kills by Hughes, to take an 11-7 lead. As the Red Foxes began to chip away at the lead, Mann provided a momentum-changing solo block to give the Stags a 17-12 lead. Fairfield rolled to the 25-19 win.

The start of the fourth set was close with nine ties and five lead changes. With the score tied 13-13, Mann and Pokipala blocked a swing by Schmid to give the Stags the lead. After a furious rally, Mann dropped a shot to an unmanned right side to put Fairfield ahead 15-13. Mann continued her strong play, giving the Stags an 18-14 advantage with a service ace. Marist came back and tied the score, 18-18, on a block and then took the 19-18 lead on kill by Leann Harridsleff. The Red Foxes extended their lead to 21-18, but the Stags did not back down using a 3-0 run to tie the score. With the score resting at 23-23, Marist notched the final two points of the set to send it to a deciding game.

Marist took the first three points of the fifth set and extended its lead to 6-2 on a kill by Alexandra Schultze. Coming out of a timeout, Balmert stopped the run with a tap over the net. Balmert then teamed with Ferraco for a block to pull the Stags within 6-4. Fairfield pulled within a point, but Marist answered with a 7-2 run for the 13-7 lead. The Stags responded by tallying four-straight points to cut the deficit to two points. It was not enough as Marist posted the final two points to take the match.