Sept. 25, 2008

Final Stats

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - Down two sets to none to Fairfield, the Marist volleyball team took the next two sets 25-23 and 25-22 to force a deciding fifth set at the McCann Center Thursday night. Fairfield held the Red Foxes to a .029 hitting percentage in the deciding set to win the match 3-2 (25-16, 26-24, 23-25, 22-25, 15-8). In the third set junior setter Dawn Jan (Belleville, N.J.) became the second player in Marist history to reach 3,000 career assists. She is now second all-time in assists at Marist with 3,019.

Jan finished the match with a double-double of 47 assists and 11 digs. Alexandra Schultze (Austin, Texas) led the Red Foxes' attack with 24 kills and hit .333 in the match. Sophomore Cassie Campbell (Canton, Ohio) led the Marist defense with 20 digs.

Marist (6-10, 1-2 MAAC) and Fairfield traded points to start the match, playing to a 9-9 tie. The Stags got some separation with a Marist service error and a kill from Katie Mann to take an 11-9 lead. The Red Foxes battled to stay within striking distance of Fairfield as a Schultze kill got Marist within one at 16-15. The Stags, though, pulled away from there. Sparked by Mann's fourth kill of the set, Fairfield closed the first on a 9-1 run to win 25-16.

Fairfield (5-9, 3-0 MAAC) kept the momentum going into the second set by taking the first three points on a Marist error and consecutive kills from Karlie Urbaniak. The Stags held the lead for most of the set but Marist came back to tie the set at 12-12 with a kill from Lindsey Schmid (Austin, Texas). The two sides played to a 15-15 tie until a Marist error gave Fairfield a 16-15 lead. Back to back aces by Mann extended the lead to three and prompted a Marist timeout.

Down 21-19, Marist started to get back into the set with a kill from Foss to make the score 21-20. After a Fairfield attack error tied the set at 21-21, Amber Lopez (Perrysburg, Ohio) aced the Stags' back row to give the Red Foxes their first lead of the set 22-21. After a Lauren Balmert kill allowed Fairfield to tie the set at 23-23, a Fairfield service error gave Marist a set point opportunity. The Stags took that away with a kill from Alex Lopez. Mann finished the set with consecutive service aces to give Fairfield the second set 26-24 and a 2-0 lead in the match.

Backed into a corner, Marist battled the Stags to a 5-5 tie in the third set. The Red Foxes then went on a 7-0 run off the serve of Jan to take a 12-5 lead. Marist stayed in command of the set the whole way through, holding Fairfield to a .146 hitting percentage. Ahead 23-18, Schmid and Kelsey Schaefer (Maria Stein, Ohio) combined to block Lauren Hughes to give Marist a 24-18 lead. Fairfield fought off five straight match points before a service error gave the Red Foxes the set 25-23.

Marist and Fairfield traded points to start the fourth set with the Stags gaining some separation at 11-9 with a Hughes kill. The Red Foxes responded with four straight points, capped by a Schultze kill, to take the lead 13-11. With the set tied at 17-17, Marist took the lead for good with a Fairfield error and a Schultze kill to make the score 19-17. The Stags got within one at 23-22 with a Hughes kill but Foss answered with a kill and a subsequent service ace to take the fourth set 25-22 and force a deciding fifth set.

Fairfield jumped out of the gates with the momentum in the fifth set. Tied at 2-2, Mann and Balmert combined for a block to give the Stags a 3-2 lead. Lopez and Mann then got together for four straight kills to go ahead 7-2. Marist got within three at 8-5 with consecutive kills from Schultze. Fairfield, though, was too much for Marist in the fifth set. The Stags hit .333 with only two errors in the fifth and held the Red Foxes to a .029 hitting percentage. Fairfield took the fifth set 15-8 and the match 3-2.

Lopez led five Fairfield players in double-figure kills with 19 and hit .317 while collecting 20 digs. Mann had 14 kills and hit a team-high .414. Setter Lauren Balmert had 57 assists and 12 digs. Libero Brandi Higa led all players with 32 digs. Fairfield outhit Marist .266-.203 and held a 99-71 advantage in digs. Each team had seven blocks.

The Red Foxes will look to even their record in MAAC play on Sunday night when they host the Saint Peter's Peahens. First serve at the McCann Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.