POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist volleyball team hosts the Fairfield Stags on Friday, September 20, in what will be the Red Foxes' 2019 home opener. The match also serves as the conference opener for Marist, as it is the first of 18 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matches the team will play this season

 

NIKKI'S NEXT MILESTONE

• Last weekend at the South Bay Battle, Nikki DeSerpa picked up her 972^nd career kill, passing Mackenzie Stephens for eighth place on the program's all-time kills list.
• DeSerpa is now just 42 kills away from reaching seventh place on Marist's kills list. Who currently occupies seventh place on the list? That would be none other than Assistant Coach Kelsey Lahey.
• Although she never played with Lahey, DeSerpa did get to see her play. "When I first visited Marist, the volleyball team had a match that day," DeSerpa said. "I got to watch Kelsey play that day, and she was outstanding. Passing her in the record book would be a very big accomplishment."
• Lahey describes it as "bittersweet," as DeSerpa inches closer to passing her in the record book. "I'm very competitive, and a part of me doesn't want anyone to pass me in the record book," Lahey said. "However, I couldn't be happier for Nikki, and when she gets kills, we win. That is what really matters right now."

 

HOW TO FOLLOW

• The match vs Fairfield will be streamed live on ESPN3. You can find the stream HERE.
• Live stats for the match are also available HERE.
• You can follow along with the match on-the-go via live updates on Twitter @MaristVB.

 

LAST TIME OUT

• Last weekend, the Red Foxes were crowned the champion at the South Bay Battle in California.
• The win was Marist's first mid-season tournament championship since 2015, and the first one away from McCann Arena since 2014.
• The Red Foxes went 2-1 in the tournament, defeating Northern Colorado (3-2) and Santa Clara (3-0), but losing to San Jose State (0-3).
• Megan Fergus was named the South Bay Battle's Most Outstanding Player, averaging 15.3 kills per match and totaling 15 digs and six total blocks over the weekend.
• Additionally, Sarah Austin and Sophia Theriot were named to the South Bay Battle's All-Tournament Team.

 

SCOUTING FAIRFIELD

• The Stags are 5-4 overall on the season, coming off a 14-16 overall finish (11-7 MAAC) in 2018.
• Fairfield comes into Friday's match on a three-game winning streak, sweeping three matches at the Sacred Heart Invitational. The Stags defeated Northeastern, NJIT, and Sacred Heart all by a 3-1 margin.
• Laura Seeger and Joelle Battles lead the attack for the Stags, totaling 104 and 97 kills, respectively, so far this season.
• Manuela Nicolini, Fairfield's primary setter, is having an excellent season so far for the Stags. She leads the team in both assists (347) and digs (109), and has added 16 kills and 13 service aces so far this year.

 

UP NEXT

The Red Foxes have a quick turnaround, as the Quinnipiac Bobcats will also be making their way to Poughkeepsie for an afternoon matchup on Sunday, September 22. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.