Oct. 22, 2006
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. - Junior Jazmin Pa'akaula (Hilo, Hawaii/St. Joseph) recorded a season-high 20 kills while freshman Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) tied a career high 14 kills to help power Fairfield to a 3-0 (30-25, 30-15, 30-12) victory at Niagara. The Stags extend their winning streak to 11 matches as they move to a perfect 11-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and 14-6 on the season.
The winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest in program history and matches a similar run by the 1997 version of the Stags. During the current streak, eight of Fairfield's wins have been by a 3-0 margin, including shutouts in each of its last five matches.
Mann had a phenomenal offensive day, hitting .737 with zero errors in 19 total attempts. Pa'akaula also hit very well posting a .643 attack percentage with just two errors in 28 total attempts. Mann and Pa'akaula also added seven digs each.
Junior Lindsey Lee (Hilo, Hawaii/St. Joseph) chipped in with a match-high 14 digs and nine kills while sophomore Brandi Higa (Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawaii Baptist Academy) added 13 digs and three aces. Freshman Barbie Thistle (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) also had three aces to go along with 44 assists and nine digs.
As a team, the Stags hit an impressive .405 with 59 kills and just 10 errors in 121 total attempts. Niagara managed only a .130 attack percentage. Fairfield held a 56-43 advantage in digs, but was out-blocked 4-3 by the Purple Eagles.
Niagara, which has lost 14 straight to Fairfield, had two players in double figures. Setter Mallory Boron had 30 assists while Sara Mancini tallied 13 digs.
The Purple Eagles led 12-11 in the opening, but the Stags would go on a 5-2 burst to regain the lead and never look back. Pa'akaula finished the game with nine kills. The Stags had similar success in game two as they closed out the match on a 14-3 run. Fairfield opened up an 18-5 lead to start game three on back-to-back kills by Mann, and controlled the rest of the way.
