<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3kWXos_0vl6csuU00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3kWXos_0vl6csuU00" width="800" height="450" >FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the first time since hoisting the MAAC Championship Trophy last November at Leo D. Mahoney Arena, Fairfield University Volleyball squares off with conference opposition this weekend as the league slate brings the Stags to Iona and Manhattan. First serves from both New Rochelle on Saturday and Riverdale on Sunday are slated for 1 p.m.Fairfield University Stags (2-9, 0-0 MAAC)<ul><li>The Stags most recently fell 3-0 to West Virginia last Friday, Sept. 20 at Mahoney Arena. The match was Fairfield's first-ever home match against a Big XII opponent.</li><li>Fairfield enters MAAC play with a conference-best .191 hitting percentage. The Stags are also second in the league in assists (10.95/set) and third in kills (11.67/set).</li><li>Individually, Mamie Krubally boasts a team-leading 2.29 kills per set. The Stags' top five hitters have all recorded between 1.65 and 2.29 finishers per frame this season.</li><li>Kyla Berg ranks fifth in the MAAC with 4.00 digs per set. The fifth-year libero has ascended to ninth all-time at Fairfield with 1,346 career digs.</li></ul>Non-Conference Recap<ul><li>Fairfield's 11-match non-conference slate included seven teams that finished 2023 with a top 100 RPI.</li><li>The ledger included four 2023 conference champions (High Point, Southeastern Louisiana, Colgate and Yale) and five 2023 NCAA postseason qualifiers (the aforementioned four plus nationally-ranked BYU).</li><li>The Stags will revisit the non-conference season on Oct. 23 at Mahoney Arena against the America East's Bryant Bulldogs.</li></ul>Iona University Gaels (2-10, 0-0 MAAC)<ul><li>Iona is 2-10 following a 1-2 weekend at the Jack Kaiser Classic. The Gaels swept Bryant while falling in straight sets to St. John's and LIU.</li><li>The Red Storm and Boston College are the two common opponents between Iona and Fairfield. The Stags fell 3-2 to St. John's and 3-0 to the Eagles, while the Gaels were swept by both.</li><li>Iona was 15-16 last season, earning the sixth seed in the MAAC and upsetting third-seeded Marist before falling to second-seeded Quinnipiac in the semifinals.</li><li>Iona's offense is led by Mackenzie Wiggins with 3.18 kills per set. Wiggins is also second on the club in digs (2.74/set) behind Ava DeGuzman's 3.54 digs per frame.</li><li>As a unit, the Gaels are hitting .099 with opponents hitting .260 against them.</li></ul>All-Time Series<ul><li>Fairfield has won four straight and nine of its last 10 against Iona.</li><li>The Stags have run the all-time series to 47-14 dating back to 1989.</li><li>Saturday will be the only regular season meeting between the Stags and Gaels.</li></ul>Manhattan University Jaspers (1-9, 0-0 MAAC)<ul><li>Led by reigning MAAC Coach of the Year Mauro Miletec, Manhattan is off to a 1-9 start following a 9-22 campaign in 2023. The Jaspers did not qualify for the MAAC postseason last fall at 6-12 in conference play.</li><li>Manhattan most recently hosted and lost to NJIT on Tuesday, Sept. 24 in straight sets. The Jaspers' lone win in a 3-1 victory over Le Moyne.</li><li>Fairfield and Manhattan did not share any opponents in the non-league slate. The Jaspers will host Sacred Heart on Saturday before welcoming the Stags on Sunday.</li><li>Maike Bertens leads the MAAC in points (4.40) and kills (3.79) per set. She is also second in the conference in aces with 17 winners in 34 frames of work.</li><li>Lizzy Kovach is the team's defensive leader with 2.47 digs per set, with Bertens adding 2.35 digs per frame.</li><li>Manhattan is hitting .137 as a team and allowing a .275 opponent hitting percentage.</li></ul>All-Time Series<ul><li>After a pair of 3-0 sweeps for the Stags in 2023, Fairfield moved to 56-7 against the Jaspers since 1989.</li><li>The Stags' current 19-match winning streak is the longest in the series.</li><li>Sunday will be the only regular season meeting between the Stags and Jaspers.</li></ul><ul><li>MAAC action comes to Leo D. Mahoney Arena next week when the Stags host a trio of conference foes in Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac and Merrimack.</li><li>Fairfield and Sacred Heart will be playing as conference foes for the first time, while the Stags will challenge Merrimack for the first time in program history.</li><li>The Saturday, Oct. 5 clash with Quinnipiac is a rematch of the last two (and three of the last five) MAAC Championship Matches.</li></ul></div></body>

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MAAC Play Opens This Weekend with Trips to Iona and Manhattan

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the first time since hoisting the MAAC Championship Trophy last November at Leo D. Mahoney Arena, Fairfield University Volleyball squares off with conference opposition this weekend as the league slate brings the Stags to Iona and Manhattan. First serves from both New Rochelle on Saturday and Riverdale on Sunday are slated for 1 p.m.