NCAA-Bound Stags Volleyball Wins Third Consecutive MAAC Championship

Fairfield Volleyball has won a league-best 15 conference titles and will play at Minnesota in the NCAA first round.

For the third consecutive season, the Fairfield University volleyball team is champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The top-seeded Stags swept third-seeded Rider at Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Nov. 23 to raise the MAAC Championship trophy for the 15th time in program history.

Fairfield’s “three-peat” is the first in the MAAC since the Stags won three in a row from 2015-17. The Stags also previously won five straight from 1997-2001. Fairfield’s 15 MAAC Championships and upcoming 15th NCAA postseason appearance are both conference records.

Harlan Wyche ’28 was named the MAAC Championship MVP after putting down 10 kills on .643 hitting with nine blocks in the tournament wins over Canisius and Rider. She was joined on the All-Championship Team by Mamie Krubally ’27 (17 kills, .367) and Maya Walker ’26 (8 kills, 14 blocks).

The tournament was held at Fairfield’s Leo D. Mahoney Arena for the second time in the venue’s three-year history. The Stags previously won the MAAC Championship at home in the 2023 inaugural season of the arena. This year’s championship match drew a crowd of 910 fans.

“It was a goal to win the regular season and to have the chance to play for a championship in Mahoney Arena in front of our home fans, who were awesome today,” said Head Coach Nancy Somera, who has won the MAAC Championship in all three of her seasons leading the Stags.

“Mahoney Arena delivered an incredible atmosphere for this year’s MAAC Volleyball Championship final,” added MAAC Commissioner Travis Tellitocci. “Having the top seed host each round for the first time in MAAC history brought an energy that elevated the entire tournament and allowed our institutions’ fans to create a great environment for our student-athletes.”

Fairfield will begin its 15th NCAA postseason trip this Friday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. (ET) at the University of Minnesota. The Stags will meet the #17 nationally ranked Golden Gophers in the national postseason for the second time in program history.

Minnesota – the #4 seed in the Pittsburgh Regional – stands at 22-9 overall and finished 12-8 in the Big Ten. The Gophers are playing in their 11th straight NCAA Championship as one of eight Big Ten teams in the field.

The other half of the bracket will feature fifth-seeded Iowa State (22-7, 12-6 Big 12) and Summit League Champion St. Thomas (21-9, 11-5 Summit). The winners will convene on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. (ET) for a place in the NCAA Regionals on Dec. 11-13 in Pittsburgh.

Fairfield and Minnesota previously met in Minneapolis in the 2019 NCAA First Round—their only meeting in program history. Friday’s match will be broadcast live on ESPN+.