Nov. 25, 2006
OXFORD, Ohio - The Fairfield volleyball team closed its 2006 campaign with a tough 3-0 (21-30, 27-30, 21-30) loss to Valparaiso, this morning at the Miami (Ohio) Thanksgiving Invitational. The Stags, the MAAC Regular Season Champions, finish the year with a 24-8 overall record.
Freshman Barbie Thistle (Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield) was the only Stag in double digits as she recorded a double-double with 34 assists and 11 digs. Thistle, the MAAC Setter of the Year, finished the season with 1,279 assists, the fourth-highest single season total. Her assist total also places her sixth on the career list.
Junior Kelly Oliver (San Diego, Calif./La Jolla) and rookie Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) led the Fairfield attack with eight kills apiece. Oliver added seven digs while Mann hit .471 with no errors.
Junior Lindsey Lee (Hilo, Hawaii/St. Joseph) chipped in with seven kills and five digs. With her kills, Lee surpassed Corrine Carlson on the career kills list and stands fourth all-time with 1,197 kills. Lee also stands fourth on the career digs chart with 1,280.
In her final collegiate match, senior Natalie Barba (Austin, Texas/Westwood) tallied seven kills on .300 hitting and one block assist. Barba will leave Fairfield as the career block assist leader with 294 and stands second all-time on the career total blocks chart with 347.
Valparaiso (22-12) took the first game with a strong hitting performance of .406 while Fairfield couldn't seem to get things started, hitting just .088. Tied 10-10, the Crusaders took advantage of several errors by the Stags to open a 25-17 lead
Fairfield found itself trailing 15-10 in the second game. However, the Stags would not back down as they tied the score 18-18 on a kill by Lee. The two teams would continue to battle, tying nine times before Valparaiso took a 29-27 on a pair of Fairfield ball handling errors. Allison Sears put the game away with a kill.
The Crusaders struck first in the third game, opening up an early 6-0 lead. Junior Lauren Campbell (San Diego, Calif./Mount Carmel) checked in and stopped the Valpo run with a kill while the Stags added another point on a Crusaders' attack error to pull within 6-2. Valpo maintained the upper hand, opening up a 9-3 lead. The Stags did not back down going on a 5-0 run sparked by a Mann kill to pull within a point. Valpo would cease Fairfield's efforts and use a run of its own to pull ahead 15-11 on a kill by Nicole Schulz. The Crusaders extended their lead to 18-14 and never looked back.
The Stags captured their third-straight MAAC Regular Season Championship, recorded an 18-0 conference record, a 20-match winning streaks and posted its third-straight winning season. Fairfield's 24 wins this season are the fifth-most in program history.
