Oct. 23, 2006
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Junior Jazmin Pa'akaula (Hilo, Hawaii/St. Joseph) and freshman Katie Mann (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) were recognized for their outstanding performances last week as they named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Volleyball Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively. The duo helped Fairfield notch two victories to extend the Stags' winning streak to 11 matches while remaining undefeated in the conference.
This is the first honor of the season for Pa'akaula, who averaged 5.00 kills, 2.50 digs and 1.00 assists while hitting .429. She had a season-high 20 kills against Niagara on Oct. 22 and hit a career-best .643 on the day. Against Canisius on Oct. 21, Pa'akaula tallied 10 kills and eight digs, just missing her fifth double-double of the year. Pa'akaula is second on the team in kills, with 3.10 per game and third in digs with 3.15 per contest. In September, she recorded her 1,000th career dig and currently stands sixth on the all-time list with 1,122 digs. Pa'akaula also is ninth on the career kills list with 880.
Mann, who earned her second rookie of the week nod, had a phenomenal week for the Stags, averaging 4.50 kills, 1.67 digs and 1.33 blocks per game. Most importantly, Mann did not commit a single error in 44 total attempts and finished the week with a .614 attack percentage. She posted 13 kills and tied a career-high with six total blocks against Canisius and tied a career-high with 14 kills against Niagara while hitting .737 for the match. In her first season, Mann is averaging 2.61 kills per game and is ranked third in the MAAC in hitting percentage with a .342 mark. She also leads the teams in blocks, averaging 0.98 per game.
Fairfield (14-6, 11-0 MAAC) is in the middle of an 11-match winning streak, which 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.
Fairfield returns to action on Oct. 26 when it travels to Iona. The Stags then travel to Marist on Oct. 28 before returning home to host Siena on Oct. 29 at Alumni Hall.
