LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Siena Saints faced off against the top team in the MAAC on Saturday afternoon, as the Green and Gold were defeated by the Fairfield Stags by a final of 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-20).
 
"Our team gave a valiant effort today," said head coach Vilis Ozols. "Emily battled and we showed some nice glimpses of effectiveness."
 
Graduate student Emily Wunder knocked down 10 kills on the afternoon, while freshman Sara Wagner added eight kills. Junior Gracie Halley led the defensive effort with 15 digs, as freshman Claire Isaksen tossed out 17 assists.
 
Fairfield's KJ Johnson led the Stags with a 16 kill, 14 dig match for a double-double. Freshman Mikayla Haut notched 11 kills, while Blakely Montgomery ran the offense with 32 assists. Emily Schillinger provided two kills, but led the Stags with a team-high six blocks.
 
In the first set, the Stags were able to score in bunches on multiple rallies. Siena struggled on the attack, as Fairfield controlled late in the set with a 23-12 lead. However, Siena found their stride, scoring five of the next six rallies to make the score 24-17. However, a kill from Johnson ended the first set for a 1-0 Fairfield lead. In the second, a big 7-0 run pushed the Stags ahead as Fairfield took a 25-14 win to go up 2-0.
 
Siena came out strong in the third set, as a pair of kills by Wunder and a pair of aces from Halley were the highlights of a 6-0 run for a 7-2 Siena lead. The Green and Gold held a lead until the Stags caught up to take things 16-all midway though. From there, the Stags allowed just four points to Siena as they took the 25-20 set win to take the match 3-0.
 
The Saints return to action tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 7 when they head to Quinnipiac to take on the Bobcats at 1 p.m.