Oct. 31, 2009

Final Stats

Watch Match Point and McCurty's Post-Match Reactions

Burgandy McCurty added to her legacy as arguably the greatest player in the history of the MAAC and the Saints sent a strong message by disposing of their archrivals with shocking ease 3-1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 25-22) here in Loudonville Saturday. The Saints entered the weekend in a dogfight for one of the four MAAC Tournament berths, but on this day they announced with authority that their bid for a fifth straight league title would not be derailed without a fight.

Fairfield (14-11, 11-2) suffered its first defeat in over a month, and it clearly evoked horrific flashbacks for the Stags who have lost the last four MAAC title matches to Siena (10-12, 8-5). It was evident Fairfield entered the match loose and relaxed with a commanding lead in the conference standings, but Siena was focused, explosive on offense and better in nearly every aspect of play; a vivid reminder that things will be very interesting if these two teams meet in Buffalo late February.

McCurty led all players with 21 kills and took over the match when Fairfield grabbed a tenuous 17-16 lead in the decisive fourth set. The nation's leader in kills, kills per set and points per set fittingly ended the match with a backrow kill off an overhead set from fellow co-captain Kau'i Robello.

Robello was masterful at the setter spot, as Head Coach Garvey Pierre may have finally found a rotation that gels. Robello has played every position save middle blocker in her time at Siena and today she orchestrated a balanced attack, finding a different weapon with seemingly every precise set she delivered.

Freshman Sarah Sivertson, who has platooned with Robello and classmate Elizabeth Ives at setter, settled into a new role on the outside and was a major difference maker. Sivertson ended with 15 kills and Aubrey Bobo added 13 when she rotated to the outside providing tremendous balance as McCurty made her return to the middle for the first time in weeks.

Still, the star of the match may have been walk-on freshman libero Lesli Akeo. Akeo anchored Siena's stout backrow defense with 17 digs and turned away Fairfield's attack time after time, starting the Siena offense with strong passes to Robello.

Fairfield could have easily been swept had it not been for a late rally in the first set that resulted in a narrow 26-24 win. Lauren Hughes came off the bench to lead the Stags with 16 kills - many coming on the opposite side as the Stags suffered through an off night from usually reliable senior middle blocker Katie Mann (nine kills in 32 attacks).

The Saints shook off the first set setback to post a resounding 25-18 win in the second. McCurty had six kills in the first 13 points of the first set, but played a complimentary role in the second as Robello turned to the outside where Sivertson and Bobo continued to find holes in the Stags' defense.

Siena won six straight points to take an 8-2 lead, the last five coming behind the ever-improving service of McCurty. Fairfield closed to 13-10, but Siena scored the next four points and controlled the action the rest of the way.

Following intermission, Siena jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then neither team held an advantage of more than a point until the Saints again got three straight tallies behind McCurty's service to pull ahead 15-12. Fairfield closed to 17-16, but the Saints won eight of the final nine points in coasting to a 25-17 win.

Siena led 14-10 in the fourth set before the Stags forced a time out with a rally that gave them the 17-16 edge. The teams traded points until Siena broke free from a 19-19 tie with three straight points - two coming on McCurty kills. The Stags closed to 23-22, but the Saints got a sideout on a Hughes' attack error and won a thrilling set point when Robello bumped the ball over her head to McCurty who leaped from the back row and finished the set dramatically.

The Saints held serve in the race for the fourth and final spot in the MAAC Tournament. They sit in fourth place - one match behind third place Marist and half a match ahead of fifth place Canisius. Siena has already lost twice to the Red Foxes, but they defeated Canisius in Buffalo early in the season and can claim the tiebreaker with a victory over the Griffs next Saturday. For now the focus turns to Saint Peter's. The Peacocks and Saints meet on UHY Court at 2 p.m. Sunday.