Oct. 5, 2011
Final Stats
Siena and Fairfield staged another epic battle Wednesday in Connecticut, and for the second time this season, the Stags came out on top. Fairfield knocked off Siena 3-1 (25-22, 32-30, 25-27 and 26-24) in four tight sets to claim its fifth straight win, and second over the Saints in the last 10 days.
The Saints out-hit Fairfield .154 to .099, but fell victim to 16 service errors. Sophomore Taylor Akana led all players with 20 kills and added 12 digs. Ever-improving freshman Jacqueline Skeen contributed 12 kills on just 23 attacks, and Colleen Ahearn killed 10 of her 34 tries for the Saints.
Libero Lesli Akeo's 26 digs represented a match high, while setter Sarah Sivertson continued her improved play with 41 assists and five kills.
Brianna Dixion and Caitlin Stapleton led Fairfield with 11 kills apiece.
Fairfield scored the final three points of the first set to break loose from a 22-22 tie. Siena let 5-0 and 16-9 leads slip away in the dramatic second set, which the Stags ultimately won 32-30. After Fairfield knotted things at 20-20, the two teams traded the next 20 points before the Stags finally put together back-to-back tallies.
Siena led the third set 5-0, and maintained a five-point advantage late (23-18) before Fairfield rallied to force extra time again. Ahearn and Akana got Siena on the board with back-to-back kills after the set was tied at 25-25.
In the fourth set, it was the Saints who rallied from five-down, erasing an 11-6 early deficit to tie the set at 24-24. The Stags claimed victory thanks to a Haililani Pokipala kill and a bad set.
Siena has a big home weekend on the horizon. The Saints host Canisius on Saturday at 2 p.m., and defending MAAC Champ Niagara Sunday at the same time.
