Fairfield Looks to Upset No. 7 Minnesota in First Round of NCAA Volleyball Tournament
Fairfield Looks to Upset No. 7 Minnesota in First Round of NCAA Volleyball Tournament

Fairfield Looks to Upset No. 7 Minnesota in First Round of NCAA Volleyball Tournament

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MINNEAPOLIS (Dec. 5, 2019) – Fairfield University (24-5, 17-1 MAAC) heads to Minneapolis, Minnesota to take on seventh ranked University of Minnesota (23-5, 17-3 Big Ten) in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Volleyball Tournament. Game time is set for 8:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 6th at Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion and will be available to stream on BTN+.
 
Fairfield overcame early adversity in the MAAC Championship, falling behind two sets to none against Marist College in the semifinals before roaring back to claim the next three sets. The Stags would go on to defeat Quinnipiac University 3-1 the following day, claiming the team’s record 11th MAAC Volleyball Championship. Manuela Nicolini was named the Most Valuable Player, finishing the Championship Game with 39 assists, 14 digs, and 10 blocks to record a triple-double. Joining her on the MAAC All-Championship Team were teammates Luci Albertson and Mayda Garcia.
 
Nicolini, the 2019 MAAC Setter and Player of the Year, headlines the Stags’ roster heading to Minneapolis. The senior setter led the league in assists per set at 11.05, a mark good enough to rank 27th nationally. Breakout freshman Joelle Battles led the Stags in kills at 305 (2.99/set) while Morgan Doll lead the team in digs with 399 (3.73/set). Kaylie Butts and Luci Albertson led the team in blocks with 110.0 and 92.0, respectively.
 
Friday night’s matchup will be the first ever between the two schools. Fairfield’s all-time record against current Big Ten schools is 3-15, claiming a victory over the University of Iowa in 1998 and two wins over the Rutgers University in 1999 and 2005 when the Scarlet Knights were a member of the Big East. With a win, the Stags would claim the first NCAA Volleyball Championship victory in MAAC history.
 
For more information on the 2019 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship, visit NCAA.com.
 
Keep up with all MAAC volleyball action by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by searching #MAACVB. 
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.