LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — Siena Volleyball isn't one for "moral" victories, however, the Saints proved that they can hang with the three-time defending conference champions Fairfield on Saturday before falling in a white-knuckle finish 3-2 (25-21, 14-25, 25-19, 22-25, 12-15) at the UHY Center.
Siena held a two-sets to one lead and played each of the final two sets down to the wire before making the Stags sweat out an entertaining back-and-forth battle between arguably two of the top teams in the Metro.
Siena finished with 56 kills and a .231 hitting percentage with 17 attacking errors, while Fairfield had 78 kills and hit .309 with 24 attacking errors.
Siena dropped to 11-11 overall and 6-3 in Metro play, falling back into a current three-way tie for second place with Iona and Quinnipiac.
Fairfield upped their mark to 15-5 overall and stayed unblemished in conference play by moving to 9-0 in Metro play.
Sophomore right side
Mary Claire Deacy finished with 24 kills, three service aces, nine digs and 28 points.
Junior setter
Abby Edwards posted 46 assists and 12 digs. The Chapin, SC native topped the 1,000 career assists threshold combined with her time playing for VCU.
Redshirt senior libero
Brooke Malek collected 20 digs and added four assists.
Junior middle blocker
Alison Goldberg tallied six blocks and two kills.
Junior outside hitter
Gabrielle Wire added a dozen kills while senior middle blocker
Maggie Seymour put down a career-high 10 kills on a .429 hitting percentage (only one error on 21 attacks).
Set-by-Set
Siena answered a late 18-17 Fairfield lead by taking five of the next six rallies, with
Gabrielle Wire and Deacy supplying kills before
Brianna Miller and Goldberg combined on a block that made it 22-19. Earlier, Siena fell behind 8-6 but won seven of the next eight rallies, using a Deacy-Goldberg block, a Deacy kill, a Malek ace and a
Maggie Seymour kill to build a 13-9 lead. Fairfield erased a 14-11 Siena edge and went in front 15-14, but Miller answered with a kill and a service ace as the teams continued to trade points. After the late Siena push, Miller and Goldberg combined on another block for 23-19, Goldberg put Siena at set point with a kill, and Deacy closed the 25-21 first-set win off an Edwards assist.
In the second set, Siena worked back within 13-12 on consecutive Fairfield attack errors and a Deacy kill from Edwards, but Fairfield answered with the next nine points to take control. Earlier, the Saints had to respond after falling behind 6-2, getting help from a Fairfield service error and two Fairfield attack errors to cut the margin to 6-5. Siena also trimmed a 9-5 deficit to 9-8 during
Hannah Bowman's service turn before Deacy added another kill from Edwards to keep the Saints within reach at 11-9. After Fairfield's extended run made it 22-12, Miller put down a late kill from Seymour, but Fairfield closed the set with back-to-back aces for a 25-14 finish.
Siena created the first sustained separation in the third set, moving ahead 5-2 after a Seymour kill and two Fairfield attack errors. After Fairfield stayed within 8-6, Siena answered with a four-point stretch that included a Miller kill, another Fairfield attack error and an
Autumn Willmott service ace to make it 12-6. Deacy kept Siena in front through the middle and late stages, recording six kills in the set, while Wire added four kills and teamed with Goldberg on an early block. Fairfield continued to side out late, but Siena reached set point on Seymour's kill and finished the 25-19 set win on Wire's kill from Edwards.
The Saints cut an eight-point deficit to two late in the fourth set, getting back to 23-21 before Fairfield held on for a 25-22 decision. Earlier, the Saints moved in front 8-7 after
Hannah Bowman served an ace and Fairfield followed with an attack error, but Fairfield answered from a 9-9 tie with eight straight points to put Siena down 17-9. Siena continued to chip away behind kills from Goldberg, Seymour, Wire and Deacy, while Deacy added back-to-back service aces during the comeback push. After Fairfield reached 24-21, Deacy kept the set alive with another kill, but Fairfield finished the set on the next point.
In the fifth set, Siena kept it even late, tying it at 10-10 on a Wire kill and again at 11-11 and 12-12 on kills from Wire and Deacy, but Fairfield scored the last three points to take the set 15-12. Earlier, Willmott opened the set with a service ace and Deacy added two early kills from Edwards, but Fairfield used a 5-1 stretch to move in front 7-3. Siena cut the gap to 7-6 with a Miller kill, a Fairfield attack error and another Deacy kill, then moved within 9-8 when Edwards and Goldberg combined on a block. Deacy finished with four kills in the set, Wire added three and Edwards contributed throughout Siena's push with assists on multiple late points and a kill of her own.
Up Next
Siena will travel to Syracuse to take on Le Moyne (0-16) in their final non-conference match of the season on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
