EDISON, NJ (Aug. 19, 2022) – Fairfield University was voted the conference favorite in the 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll and the Stags’ decorated outside hitter, KJ Johnson, has been selected the Preseason Player of the Year, as voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.
Fairfield totaled 99 points and nine of the 10 first-place votes, making them the top choice to repeat as MAAC champions in 2022. The Stags won the 2021 MAAC regular season by going 16-2 during conference play, which included 12 consecutive wins to open league play, before capturing the 2021 MAAC Championship with wins over Siena, Canisius, and Rider. Fairfield enters the 2022 campaign having won five MAAC titles in the last seven years and 12 total in program history.
Rider finished second in the poll with 80 points, followed closely by Quinnipiac in third with 76 points. Marist (69 points) and Canisius (66 points) rounded out the league’s top five.
The defending MAAC Volleyball Player of the Year, Johnson has been tabbed the 2022 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. Johnson averaged a conference-leading 4.87 kills per set last year, which places her seventh all-time for a single season, ranked second in the MAAC in total kills (420), and finished third in the conference in hitting percentage (.323). The 2021 MAAC Volleyball Championship Most Valuable Player, Johnson recorded 68 total points, 52 kills, 34 digs, and two assists throughout the three-day tournament to lead the Stags to their 12th conference title in program history. Moreover, Johnson was a four-time MAAC Player of the Week selection in 2021 and was named to the AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and All-East Coast Region teams.
The Preseason Coaches’ Poll and entire Preseason All-MAAC Team can be found below.
| 2022 Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Fairfield |
99 (9) |
| 2 |
Rider |
80 |
| 3 |
Quinnipiac |
76 (1) |
| 4 |
Marist |
69 |
| 5 |
Canisius |
66 |
| 6 |
Iona |
44 |
| 7 |
Siena |
39 |
| 8 |
Niagara |
38 |
| 9 |
Manhattan |
20 |
| 10 |
Saint Peter’s |
19 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| KJ Johnson - Fairfield |
| Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Bree Long |
Libero |
Sr. |
Canisius |
| Nicole Legg |
Middle Hitter |
Gr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Ella Gardiner |
Middle Hitter |
Jr. |
Fairfield |
| KJ Johnson |
Outside Hitter |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| Jordan Newblatt |
Outside Hitter |
Jr. |
Marist |
| Morgan Romano |
Outside Hitter |
Sr. |
Rider |
| McKinley Fox |
Setter |
Gr. |
Marist |
The 2022 MAAC Volleyball Championship takes place from November 16 through 19 at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The 10-team, single-elimination championship will feature four rounds of action with the opening round taking place on Wednesday, November 16, followed by the quarterfinals on Thursday, November 17, the semifinals on Friday, November 18, and concluding with the championship match on Saturday, November 19. For all information regarding the 2022 MAAC Volleyball Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/vb.
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 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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