Nov. 1, 2006
Weekly Notes
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It's all about the streaks this week at Alumni Hall as the volleyball team will play its final two home matches of the season on Nov. 3 and Nov. 4. Not only will the Stags look to keep its 14-match winning streak alive, but they also have the opportunity to officially clinch its third-straight MAAC Regular Season Championship on Saturday.
Fairfield (17-6, 14-0 MAAC) will face Rider (7-16, 5-9 MAAC) on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. as the Stags push to remain undefeated in conference play. On Nov. 4, Manhattan (10-16, 7-7 MAAC) will visit Alumni Hall for a 2 p.m. start on Senior Day. Prior to the start of the match, the Stags will honor its two seniors, Natalie Barba and Kiana Kauwe.
Fairfield vs. Rider, Take Two - Fairfield's winning streak began on September 16 at Rider when the Stags downed the Broncs, 3-1 (30-13, 30-19, 25-30, 30-24), in the conference opener. Freshman Katie Mann notched a double-double with a career-high 13 kills and 11 digs along with four block assists while junior Lindsey Lee posted 18 kills and 20 digs along with three total blocks. Junior Kelly Oliver had an outstanding afternoon with a career-high five aces, a match-high 23 digs and nine kills. The Stags have taken seven of the last eight meetings against the Broncs. Rider last defeated Fairfield on Oct. 16, 2004 by a score of 3-2.
Fairfield vs. Manhattan, Redux - It was a total team effort inside Draddy Gymnasium on September 21 as the Stags shut down Manhattan, 3-0 (30-21, 30-20, 30-13). Junior Lindsey Lee led the way with a match-high 13 kills and nine digs. Lee was also one of five Stags to hit over .300 on the night posting a .455 attack percentage. Freshman Katie Mann had nine kills on .471 hitting while classmate Barbie Thistle tallied six kills and 31 assists. The Stags presented a strong defensive front, holding the Jaspers to a .043 attack percentage and out-blocking them, 8-3. Lauren Campbell and Mann each posted four total blocks on the night. Fairfield also held a 45-39 advantage in digs with libero Brandi Higa tallying 13 of those digs. The Stags have won three-straight meetings with the Jaspers and have taken five of the last six meetings.
What a Streak! - The 14-match winning streak is the fourth-longest in program history. During the current streak, 11 of Fairfield's wins have been by a 3-0 margin, including shutouts in each of its last eight matches.
Home Sweet Home - Fairfield is 9-1 at home this season and have won seven-straight matches in Alumni Hall.
Make it Snappy - If you look away, you may miss an entire match. Fourteen of the Stags' 17 wins have been by 3-0 margins, including shutouts in the last eight matches. In 2005, Fairfield recorded 12 shutout victories. Nineteen of Fairfield's 23 matches have been completed in three games as the Stags hold a 14-5 record in those contests. Fairfield hasn't had a match go five games this year.
Big MAAC Attack - Fairfield has been dominant in its 14 conference matches this season. At 14-0 in the MAAC, 11 of the victories have been by 3-0 margins and Fairfield has dropped just three sets to MAAC opponents all season. The Stags are averaging 5.7 more kills per game and holding opponents to an attack percentage of .115 while hitting .296. The Stags are also out-blocking league foes 102-60.5 and are averaging 1.2 more aces per game. Since 2001, the Stags have gone 51-8 against MAAC opponents during the regular season.
Making No Mistakes - Freshman Katie Mann has been nearly flawless in her last five matches, committing just two attack errors in 89 total attempts. During that span, she has posted 55 kills and a .596 attack percentage.
National Notice - For the third-straight week, Fairfield has been ranked nationally in several statistical categories. Through matches on October 29, as a team, Fairfield is 20th in assists per game (15.21), 21st in hitting percentage (.268) and 26th in kills per game (16.33). Setter Barbie Thistle is ranked 21st in aces per game, averaging 0.60 this year. Thistle has been ranked as high as eighth in the nation that category.
Climbing the Career Charts - Senior Natalie Barba is working her way up the Fairfield blocking charts. Barba, currently has 274 block assists and is 10 away from tying Laura Gleason's career record of 284. Barba also has 322 total blocks in is five away from tying Corrine Carlson for second on the career list. Gleason also holds the career total blocks record of 568.
MAAC Weekly Honors - For the second straight week, freshman Katie Mann was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week. Mann, who earned her third rookie of the week nod, continued her stellar hitting collecting 28 kills while committing just two errors in 45 total attempts for a .578 attack percentage. For the week, she averaged 3.11 kills along with six total blocks and had eight of the Stags'13 service aces. Mann had 10 kills and no errors against both Iona and Siena. Mann also tallied a career-high four aces and four total blocks against the Gaels. Last week, Mann was one of two Stags to pick up MAAC honors as junior Jazmin Pa'akaula was named the Offensive Player of the Week. It was the seventh MAAC Rookie of the Week honor for Fairfield as setter Barbie Thistle has received the title four times this season. Junior Lindsey Lee has also been recognized by the MAAC for her accomplishments on the court three times this season, twice as the Defensive Player of the Week and once as the Offensive Player of the Week.
Last Time Out - The Stags closed the month of the October the same way they started it - undefeated in the MAAC as they blanked second-place Siena 3-0 (30-24, 30-22, 30-20) on October 29 at Alumni Hall. With the victory, the Stags posted their 14th-straight match and their eighth-consecutive shutout victory. Two Stags recorded double-doubles while four others were in double digits. Junior Jazmin Pa'akaula registered a match-high 13 kills with 10 digs for her fifth double-double of the season while classmate Lindsey Lee tallied 11 kills and a match-high 16 digs for her 14th double-double of the year. Freshman Katie Mann continued to hit extremely well as she tallied 10 kills and a .667 attack percentage while not committing an error in 15 total attempts.
Looking Ahead - The Stags will wrap up the regular season on the road next week when they head to Saint Peter's on November 8 and Loyola on November 11. Fairfield will head to the 2006 MAAC Volleyball Championships November 16-19 at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
