Match Results
- Sacred Heart def. Fairfield 3-1, (25-22, 17-25, 25-16, 25-21)
- Fairfield, Connecticut
- Pitt Center
- Attendance: 185
- Match Stats
Press Release
Courtesy of Sacred Heart Athletics
Led by a game-high 37 assists and 19 digs from Kiki Robinson, the Sacred Heart women’s volleyball team won its home opener over the Fairfield Stags 3-1 (25-22, 17-25, 25-16, 25-21) at the Pitt Center.
Liisel Nelis led the Pioneers with 14 kills, adding seven digs and two blocks. Makayla Dole had 11 kills. Julia Murawinski hit .364 with nine kills and four blocks. Rianna McNamee led SHU with five blocks.
First Set: SHU 25-22
– The Pioneers opened the set with four straight points, getting an ace from Robinson. SHU took a 7-2 lead on Dole’s second kill of the match.
– SHU led 10-6 when a block by Fairfield’s Kaylie Butts and Sonja Radulovic sparked a 5-0 Stags run that put the visitors ahead 11-10.
– Trailing 14-11, SHU went on a 6-1 run highlighted by back-to-back blocks to take an 18-15 lead.
– Fairfield rallied to tie the set at 19-19, and the two teams traded points up to 21-21. SHU then got a Nelis kill and Robinson ace as part of a three-point run to go ahead 24-21. Nelis clinched the set 25-22 with her fourth kill of the set.
Second Set: Fairfield 25-17
– The Stags used a 5-0 run to take a 9-5 lead.
– Fairfield led by as much as six at 14-8 on a block by Kaitlyn Fisher and Luci Albertson.
– A Dole kill sparked a three-point SHU run to get the Pioneers back within three at 16-13.
– Fairfield won six of the last eight points in the set to take it 25-17.
Third Set: SHU 25-16
– After hitting -.029 in the second, the Pioneers hit .333 in the third with 15 kills and only three errors.
– SHU opened the set on a 6-1 run, getting back-to-back kills from Nelis and Murawinski.
– The Pioneers took a 16-8 lead on a block by McNamee and Murawinski.
– SHU led by as much as nine points twice in the set, taking it 25-16 on a Murawinski kill.
Fourth Set: SHU 25-21
– The set opened with seven ties in the first 18 points. SHU broke away to take an 11-9 lead on a Nelis solo block and Robinson ace.
– Fairfield came back to tie the set 14-14 on kills by Fisher and Mayda Garcia.
– With the set tied 20-20, a pair of Stags errors gave SHU a 22-20 lead. After a Garcia kill made the score 22-21, two Nelis kills and a Murawinski block gave the Pioneers the set 25-21 and the match 3-1.
SHU hit .164 in the match, holding Fairfield to a .132 hitting percentage. The Pioneers also had 54 digs to the Stags’ 53. Garcia led Fairfield with 14 kills.
The Pioneers are next in action this weekend at the Dartmouth Invitational, beginning Friday at 3 p.m. against Iona.
Press Release
Courtesy of Fairfield Athletics
Fairfield University Volleyball was on the short side of a 3-1 final this evening, across town at Sacred Heart. The Stags were led offensively by 14 kills from Mayda Garcia – the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Player of the Week.
“The effort was there, but the execution was not,” said Head Coach Todd Kress. “We committed too many errors at critical times tonight.”
The Pioneers (3-4) took the match by set scores of 25-22, 17-25, 25-16 and 25-21.
In addition to Garcia’s team-high output, the Stags (3-4) also got 10 kills from Kaylie Butts on .273 hitting (10-4-22) with Kaitlyn Fisher adding nine kills at a .278 clip (9-4-18). Sonja Radulovic posted eight from the outside, and Luci Albertson rounded out the attack with four kills on 13 errorless swings (.308). Manuela Nicolinimanaged the offense from the setter spot, doling out 36 assists, while Taylor Rudeen handed out four helpers.
Rudeen also led the effort in the back row with 18 digs as the Stags’ libero. Radulovic contributed 11 digs, and Nicolini added eight. At the net, Nicolini had a hand in four of Fairfield’s nine blocks, while Butts and Nora Quinneach got a piece of two rejections.
The Stags supplemented the scoring with two points from behind the service line, as Garcia and Jamie Calandroeach served up an ace.
Liisel Nelis guided the Sacred Heart offense with 14 kills. Kiki Robinson posted a double-double for the Pioneers with a pair of match highs – 37 assists and 19 digs.
This weekend, action then comes to George Bisacca Court at Alumni Hall for the first time for the Fairfield Invitational. The Stags will host Washington State (5-1) on both nights of the tournament in addition to a Saturday afternoon clash with New Hampshire (1-6). The event features three teams that reached the NCAA postseason in 2016 with the Cougars and America East Champion Wildcats tangling with the host Stags. All three of Fairfield’s matches this weekend will be broadcast live and free of charge by the Stags Sports Network.
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