Marist Advances to Title Match with Four Set Win Over Fairfield
MAAC Sports
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Top seeded Marist College defeated fourth seeded Fairfield University in the semifinal round of the 2014 MAAC Volleyball Championship at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
Fairfield controlled the early half of the first set, gaining a 7-2 lead when Hadley Orr scored a kill off an assists from Megan Theiller. The Stags would extend its lead to 11-5 and 15-9 before Marist would score on an attack error and go on a 10-3 run to take its first lead of the match at 19-18. A kill by Mackenzie Stephens would close out the set for Marist at 25-22.
Marist took the second set 25-23. Marist began the set leading 5-1 and then 6-3 before Fairfield would even the set at 8-8. The set would have 11 ties throughout its remainder before Amanda Schlegel’s kill closed out the set for the Red Foxes.
Fairfield came out on fire in the third set going on runs of 3-0 and 10-0 to open up the set with a 13-3 lead. Caitlin Stapleton’s six kills paced the Stags during the run. Marist would only get as close as six points during the set as Fairfield picked up the 25-17 set win. Stapleton finished the set with eight of the Stags 17 kills.
Marist would close out the match in the fourth set winning it 25-20 on four kills from Courtney Shaw and Kelsey Lahey.
Kelsey Ediger led the Red Foxes with 12 kills, while Shaw and Lahey added 10 kills each. Stapleton recorded a match high 16 kills for the Stags. Libero Brooke Zywick had 24 digs for Marist.
Marist advances to the title of the championship and plays tomorrow at 2:00p.m. on ESPN3 against the winner of the second semifinal between second seed Siena College and third seed Manhattan College.
Fairfield will play in the third place match against the loser of the second semifinal at 11:00a.m. tomorrow.