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2012 Stags Volleyball 21
STREAKINGSTAGS
Fairfieldhad two impressiveeight-matchwinning streaksduring2011. TheStags
won their final seven regular season matches and pushed that streak to eight
withavictory intheMAACChampionshipSemifinal. Theyalsohadaneight-match
winning streak between September 23 and October 15. The eight-match win
streakswere longest since2009when the Stags rattled off nine consecutive vic-
tories.
SETTING THE TONE EARLY
The Stags were 15-4 when winning the first set and 14-2 when winning the sec-
ond set.
STAGS IN THREE-SETMATCHES
Fairfieldwon its first three-setmatch onOctober 1 against Loyola after goingwin-
less in the previous five attempts. After the win, the Stags went 8-0 in three-set
matches.
BIGMAACATTACK
Fairfieldwas16-2 in theMAACdue inpart toa strongattack. TheStags averaged
14.01 kills per set inMAACmatches, 3.77more than the opponents they faced.
Fairfield also presented a solid defense, averaging 18.00 digs per set in MAAC
matches, which was 3.57 more per set. They also out-blocked MAAC foes, 120-
105.5. Since 1997, Fairfield is 163-23 against MAAC opponents during the reg-
ular season.
HOLDING THEMDOWN
Fairfieldheldopponents to just eight points inanon-decidingset three times. The
first occurrence was on September 3 against NJIT when the Stags held the
Highlanders toeight points in the fourthset. Thesecond time, FairfieldheldSiena
to eight points in the fourth set during the September 25 contest. The Stags did
it again in the thirdset against LoyolaonOctober 1. Theeight pointswere the low-
est amount since October 15, 2005 when Fairfield notched a 30-7 victory over
Siena in the third set.
HITTINGONALL CYLINDERS
Senior Kendal Dirkin led the MAAC with a .332 attack percentage in 2011. She
hit above .300 in 12 of the last 16matches. Themiddle blocker did not commit
an error against Manhattan on October 8 and converted 11 of her 17 swings for
kills (.647).
STILL GOING
Setter Rachel Romansky appeared in all 114 sets the Stags played in 2011, the
only teammember to do so. She’s ran the Fairfield offense effectively, account-
ing for 1,227 assists which was the seventh-best single-season performance in
programhistory. Romansky hasmissed just one set in her career playing in 233
of the 234 games in which the Stags have played over the last two seasons.
IT’S THEMILLENNIUM
Senior Haililani Pokipala turned in a 13-dig effort in the final home match of her
career on November 2 to become the 11th Stag in program history to record
1,000 career digs. It was exactly one month to the day when Pokipala notched
her 900th career dig. Pokipala is the second Stag this season to reach themile-
stone as libero Kara Reis tallied her 1,000th dig at the beginning of October.
BIGBLOCKER
Senior Kendal Dirkin secured her place in the Fairfield record books with her
efforts in the middle for the Stags. On November 6, she checked into Fairfield’s
career top-10 in total blocks andgraduates ninthall-timewith243. OnOctober 2,
she entered the career top-ten in block assists and graduates seventh all-time
with 215. Dirkin has recorded at least one block in everymatch this season for a
total of 89.
MOVINGONUP
Senior Haililani Pokipala and sophomore Rachel Romansky steadily moved up
the Fairfield career charts. With2,332 career assists, Romanskymoved into fifth
all-time surpassing teammate Lauren Balmert (2,231). With 155 career service
aces, Pokipala graduates tied with Corinne Carlson for fourth all-time at Fairfield.
BREAKING900 KILLS
With 16 kills at Rider onOctober 30, junior BriannaDixion went over the 900-kill
mark for her career and has 940 after three seasons as a Stag. Dixion eclipsed
the800-career killmarkwithan18-kill effort atSienaonSeptember25andpost-
ed her 700th career kill at the Hofstra Invitational.
MAKE IT 1,000
Junior Kara Reis posted her 1,000th career dig in the fifth set of the Stags’ victo-
ry over Canisius on September 17. Needing just 18 to reach the milestone, the
libero finishedwith 20 digs to become the tenth Stag in programhistory to reach
themilestone. Reis now has 1,356 digs, good for seventh all-time.
THE BIG3-0
Libero Kara Reis scooped up 32 digs against Iona on October 15, tying the sec-
ond-highest single match total in program history. The junior’s previous career-
high was 31, which she recorded against Iona in 2009.
LOTSOF POINTS
Fairfield and Siena battled it out in Alumni Hall on October 5, combining for 211
points. The Stags prevailed 25-22, 32-30, 25-27, 26-24. The Stags scored 108
points in thematch, which is the third-highest singlematch total (25-point scoring
format) inNCAADivision I history. Interestingly, Fairfieldwas the last teamtobreak
100 points, doing so against Rider (104) on October 24, 2010.
LOTSOF BLOCKS
The Stags turned in a season-best 15 total blocks at Siena on September 25.
Three Stags – Kendal Dirkin, Caitlin Stapleton, and LindsayWeaver – had five or
moreblocksapiece in that contest. The last timeFairfieldrecorded15blockswas
on October 27, 2007 and their opponent was Siena.
LOTSOF DIGS
TheStags tallied96digs in their five-setwinat SienaonSeptember 25. Itwas the
most since 2009 when Fairfield tallied 94 at Rider.
SEVENTHHEAVEN
Fairfield rookies Caitlin Stapleton, Camille Coffey, and Marilyn Peizer made their
collegiate debuts by each tallying seven kills against FIU on August 27.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMACCOLADES
Rookie Camille Coffey was named to the UNHHolly Young Invitational All-
Tournament Team after averaging 4.00 points, 3.75 kills, and 3.25 digs per set
while posting two double-doubles in three matches. Coffey was also named
Hofstra Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 3.43 digs per set and
2.79 kills per set. Coffey also had six total blocks in all four matches of the tour-
nament.
STAGS INSEASONOPENERS
Fairfield is 15-12 in season openers since 1985 and has captured five of its last
eight including the 3-1 victory over EasternMichigan to start 2009.
ON THEROADAGAIN
The Stags played their first 10 matches on the road, appearing in three tourna-
ments during that stretch. After a two-match homestand, the Stags played their
next two on the road before returning home for almost all of October.
MAACPRESEASONPOLL
The Fairfield University volleyball team was picked to finish third in the Metro
AtlanticAthleticConference (MAAC) thisseasonaccording toapoll of the league’s
coaches. The Stags received 73 points to finish behind Canisius College with 81
points. Two-time defending MAAC Champion Niagara University was picked to
repeat as conference champion with 98 points. Manhattan College was picked
fourth with 67 and was followed by Marist College (63), Siena College (49), Iona
College (46), Loyola University Maryland (40), Rider University (19), and Saint
Peter’s College (14).