FAIRFIELD, Conn. – It took the Fairfield Stags just 72 minutes to dispatch Marist on Friday night, sweeping the Red Foxes 3-0, and outscoring them 75-48 in the entirety of the match.
The Stags, who have not lost a match in MAAC play at Leo D. Mahoney Arena in the gym’s three-year history, overpowered the Red Foxes’ defense on their 79 attack attempts on the evening; Fairfield only committed six errors, all while converting 41 kills for a staggering .519 kill percentage.
The match provided Marist’s biggest test in conference play after getting out to an impressive 4-1 start against MAAC opponents – Fairfield (12-4, 6-0 MAAC) has won back-to-back MAAC tournaments, and three of the last four.
Marist came out flat against the MAAC powerhouse; the Red Foxes’ offense seldom looked competitive against the lengthy Fairfield blockers. As a team, Marist finished with an insufficient .105 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Sara Dasic scored 11 kills, being the only Red Fox to reach double digits.
Fairfield entered Friday night as the best blocking team in the MAAC, with 55 total blocks during conference play – 11 more than second-place Saint Peter’s. The Stags flexed their muscles early, stuffing two attacks from freshman outside hitter Mallory Reck to take a 5-1 lead.
The Stags’ offense looked just as dominant as their defense; junior right-side hitter Mamie Krubally, MVP of last year’s MAAC Tournament, slammed three vicious kills on her first three chances. She finished the set four-for-four, after adding a kill after returning to the front row later in the set. Krubally ended the match with 10 kills on only 14 swings.
Fairfield ultimately won the sweat-free set 25-14, running away with it after controlling the early going. Marist made as many kills as errors in the set, while the Stags’ offense efficiently converted on 14 of 26 attacks.
After the post-set break, Marist’s offense momentarily found its groove, taking a 6-3 lead – Dasic scored two kills and sophomore middle blocker Sarah Bumstead and freshman right-side hitter Eleana Koute each had one. The Red Foxes’ success was short-lived. Marist made four attack errors in a six-point stretch, all won by Fairfield; the Stags suddenly went from down three to up three.
They never gave that lead back. Freshman right-side hitter Emma Bortolotti and senior outside hitter Allie Elliott each finished the set with three kills, leading the Stags to a .385 hitting percentage and a .500 kill percentage. The Marist defense improved at the net, recording two blocks, but Fairfield’s blistering attack secured them a 25-19 win.
Dasic once again got Marist out to an early lead, this time nailing five kills to stake a 7-3 lead for the Red Foxes. Still, the story played out the same.
The Stags quickly battled back, winning 10 of the following 13 points. However, the Red Foxes hung around this time, before Fairfield distanced itself as Elliot and Krubally got hot offensively, and in the blocking game.
With the score knotted at 14, Fairfield sprinted to the finish line. They won 11 of the match’s final 12 points, posting a crooked 25-15 score in the third set to win the match, 3-0.
Again, Marist simply had no answers for Fairfield’s offense, which hit .444 in the set and an incredible .443 in the match. However, blocking was just a tiny part of Marist’s issues on Friday night.
“I thought we outpassed them. But our serving was poor, I think our attacking was bad, our blocking setup wasn’t great,” said Marist head coach Sean Byron. “I don’t think there was really any part of our game that was very good tonight.”
Marist has a pristine opportunity to bounce back on Saturday night, as they stay in Fairfield to take on Sacred Heart. The Pioneers currently sit at 1-4 in conference play, presenting the Red Foxes with a more manageable foe as they aim to salvage the weekend road trip.
Edited by Jaylen Rizzo
Photo and graphic by Jaylen Rizzo
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