Senior middle blocker Maya Walker led a stifling defensive effort with 10 blocks as Fairfield volleyball dominated Canisius in a 3-0 MAAC Semifinals win on Saturday afternoon.
Walker’s double digit effort contributed to a team total of 17 blocks, a new season-high, including eight in the first set alone. The Stags held the Golden Griffins to an overall hitting percentage of -.058 for the match.
“We had them very scouted out,” said head coach Nancy Somera in the postgame press conference. “They have tendencies and we just got good jumps on the ball, our block was really disciplined in where they were putting their hands, and it made a difference.”
The Stags separated themselves with repeated runs in the middle of each set. In the opening frame, after the Golden Griffins pulled within two points at 9-7, the Stags answered with an 8-1 run to blow things open, followed by another late 5-0 run to earn set point with plenty of breathing room.
After an early 5-5 tie in the second set, the Stags closed on a 20-6 extended stretch to win the 25-11. And in the third, which looked for a while like it might be the most competitive on the scoreboard, they rattled off a 7-1 run to go up 19-11 and quickly put the match away.
Offensively, sophomore outside hitter Katelyn Cook paced the Stags with a match-high 11 kills on .421 hitting in the first MAAC Championships appearance of her career.
“I think honestly, it was kind of like any other game, I didn’t really treat it any differently because we play them in-league all the time,” Cook said. “There was a little bit more pressure, but I think once you get out there on the court, it kind of all goes away, all the nerves, and you just get into the game and the moment.”
Junior right side hitter Mamie Krubally added eight kills, with senior outside hitter Allie Elliott and first-year right side hitter Emma Bortolotti chipping in five apiece. The Stags finished the match hitting .338, their ninth-best effort of the season.
The Stags also had the benefit of playing on their home floor of Mahoney Arena due to finishing the regular season as the top team in the conference. It’s where they’ll return tomorrow to face the winner of this afternoon’s semifinal between second-seeded Quinnipiac and third-seeded Rider in the conference championship game, with a third straight MAAC title and trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.
The Stags took down Rider 3-1 on the road in their only meeting earlier this year on Oct. 4, and split the season-series with Quinnipiac, winning 3-1 at home on Sept. 27 and falling 3-0 on the road on Oct. 24, their lone conference loss this season.
“We’re gonna go watch this next game, prepare a little bit that way,” Cook said, “and then just rest, focus, watch some film and get ready for whoever we’re playing tomorrow.”
First serve against either the Bobcats or the Broncs is slated for 1 p.m. at Mahoney Arena.