Oct. 21, 2006
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Fairfield continued its dominance in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with a 3-0 (30-17, 30-28, 30-19) victory at Canisius this afternoon. With the win, the Stags extend its winning streak to 10 matches while improving to 13-6 overall and 10-0 in the MAAC. The Golden Griffs' five-match winning streak was snapped as they fall to 15-8 on the year and 9-3 in the conference.
The freshman duo of Barbie Thistle (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) and Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) had a strong day for the Stags. Thistle notched her fifth double-double of the year with 45 assists and 10 digs while Mann had 13 kills on .520 while tying a career-high with six total blocks.
Three additional Stags recorded double figures with junior Lindsey Lee (Hilo, Hawaii/St. Joseph) leading the way with a match-high 15 kills. She also added eight digs. Junior Jazmin Pa'akaula (Hilo, Hawaii/St. Joseph) collected 10 kills and eight digs on the day, while junior Kelly Oliver (San Diego, Calif./La Jolla) tallied 10 digs.
The Stags opened the day with a strong 30-17 win in game one. After Canisius rallied back to tie the score 6-6, Fairfield went on an 8-3 run and never looked back.
Things seemed to be in Canisius' favor in game two as the Griffs opened a 15-9 lead. But Fairfield would not be held down, as they swiftly erased the deficit and tied the score 24-24 on an ace by Pa'akaula. The two teams would tie again at 26-26, but an attack error by Canisius on the next point tipped the momentum into the Stags' favor.
Fairfield picked up where it left off in game three, opening up an 18-9 lead. The Stags would control the rest of the way to take the match.
As a team, Fairfield hit .270 while holding Canisius to a .179 attack percentage and held a 55-38 advantage in kills. The Stags also had seven aces. Blocks were even for both teams as they each collected eight.
Fairfield will face Niagara tomorrow, October 22, at 1:30 p.m.
