QU Volleyball Drops Nail-Biter To League-Leading Fairfield

Saturday, November 12

Fairfield, CT

1:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

19-12, 11-7MAAC

Fairfield University

26-5, 18-0MAAC

Quinnipiac

Fairfield

QU Volleyball Drops Nail-Biter To League-Leading Fairfield

11/12/2016 4:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Quinnipiac volleyball team gave MAAC-leading Fairfield all it could handle in its bid to finish the regular season undefeated, but the Stags were able to prevail 26-24 in the fourth set for a 3-1 win over the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale.

Fairfield closes out the regular season 26-5 and a perfect 18-0 in the MAAC, and will enter the conference tournament next weekend at home with a 20-match win streak after today's 25-22, 22-25, 25-17. 26-24 2in. Quinnipiac slips to 19-12 overall and 11-7 in the MAAC with the loss, as it awaits its seed and opponent at the conclusion of this weekend's play.

After trailing 23-19 in the fourth set, the Bobcats rattled off five straight points to pull ahead 24-23 and earn a set point to potentially force the match into a decisive fifth set. A kill from sophomore outside hitter Jen Coffey (Merrimack, N.H.) started the run and two straight Fairfield errors made the score 24-23 Bobcats. However, Megan Theiller had a kill to tie the score up, and then added the winning kill for a 26-24 victory and a 3-1 win in the match.

After dropping a close decision in the first set, Quinnipiac came out with a terrific start in the second set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead on a solo block from senior Allison Leigh (Palmer, Alaska - pictured). Fairfield battled back and went ahead 22-19 with its eyes on taking a 2-0 lead into intermission, but Quinnipiac roared back with a 6-0 run to tie the score. Coffey started it with a kill, and then Leigh had a remarkable stretch where she had a kill and four straight blocks for the final five points. Two of the blocks, including the one to end the set, were combined with sophomore outside hitter Kat Miller (Collegeville, Pa.).

Fairfield came out after intermission looking like it may cruise to a tiebreaking win in the third set, leading 8-3 early, but Quinnipiac battled back to within 12-11 on a Coffey kill. The Stags, though, answered with three straight points and extended that run to 10-3, pulling ahead 22-14 and moving on to the 25-17 lead and a 2-1 advantage in the match.

Coffey finished with 13 kills to lead the offense, while Leigh had nine kills and eight blocks, increasing her Quinnipiac Division I record to 167 on the year (the old mark was 145, set by Shannon Dublin in 1998). Freshman libero Alejandra Rodriguez (Toa Alta, P.R.) had 21 digs, one shy of her personal best, while senior defensive specialist Cody Michaels (Versalles, Ky.) had eight, giving her 985 in her career, 15 shy of 1000 entering the MAAC Tournament. Freshman setter Maria Pansari (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) had 38 assists and a personal-best 13 digs on the day.

Quinnipiac will be participating in the MAAC Tournament for the first time as a top six seed and will open play on Friday, Nov. 18 against an opponent to be determined. The Bobcats did travel to Florida to compete in the 2014 MAAC Tournament, when the entire league was invited, which was its only postseason appearance since the 2005 team earned a bid in the Northeast Conference.