Marist came up empty on their weekend trip to Fairfield, first losing to Sacred Heart 3-1 on Saturday, then to Fairfield 3-0 on Sunday afternoon.
Once again, Marist’s (1-20, 1-10 MAAC Conference) dynamic duo of outside hitters, freshman Taylor Miller and sophomore Sara Dasic highlighted the Red Foxes’ offense against the Pioneers (10-12, 6-4 MAAC) and Stags (13-10, 11-0 MAAC). Miller and Dasic combined for 47 kills, accounting for nearly two thirds of Marist’s total kills on the weekend.
Against Fairfield, both offenses struggled in the early going, failing to register a hitting percentage above .100 at the media timeout. There, Marist led 15-14, but a quick 6-2 run from the Stags swung the set in their favor. The Stags brought a well-balanced attack in the back half of the set, with four players scoring three or more kills in the set.
Fairfield jumped all over Marist to start the second set. Only nine points in, Marist head coach Sean Byron had already used both of his timeouts, as Fairfield held an 8-1 lead. The timeouts proved to be in vain; the Stags rolled to a dominant 25-13 second set victory. Fairfield applied pressure from the service line in the second set, and the entire match. The Stags only missed one serve in the match, and junior setter Abby Jandro led the way by landing three aces.
After a back-and-forth early going that left each side tied at 12 points apiece, the Stags once again rattled off a lengthy run. This time, they scored nine of the next ten points to stake a 21-13 lead. To the Red Foxes’ credit, they did not back down.
Marist embarked on a 6-2 run, thanks in part to sophomore middle blocker Trinity Woods and Miller, who combined for four kills in the eight-point span. Though finally back in striking distance the effort came to no avail, Fairfield scored the next two points to win the match, 3-0.
Less than 18 hours previously, Marist lost the first match of the weekend set to Sacred Heart, 3-1.Marist dug themselves into an early hole, losing the first two sets on Saturday night.
The Red Foxes rallied late in the first set after falling behind, but the Pioneers scored the final five points of the set, winning 25-18. In the second set, Marist held a comfortable 16-10 advantage, but Sacred Heart scored six straight to tie it, quickly changing the outlook of the set. From there, they scored nine of the next 15 points to win 25-20.
With their backs against the wall, Marist’s defense locked in to hold the Pioneers to a measly .026 hitting percentage in the third set. On offense, Dasic dominated the early going with five kills, before Miller took over in the waning points. Miller scored Marist’s final five points of the set, all on kills. The Pioneers put the Red Foxes away in the fourth set, taking a six-point advantage midway through the set and never looking back.
The two losses this weekend extend Marist’s losing streak to six, and they now sit three games back of a postseason spot. Coming up, the Red Foxes have three games in five days, starting at 6:30 on Wednesday night when they welcome Siena to McCann Arena.
The last time they faced off, the Saints and Red Foxes went the distance, with Siena winning the five-set match. Only three or fewer points decided three of the five sets; these two squads are evenly matched, setting up the chance for another nail-biting match.
Edited by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo and graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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