The Fairfield volleyball team delivered a commanding performance Tuesday night, sweeping Keokuk in straight sets 25-10, 25-18, 25-12 to improve to 4-1 in conference play.
The Trojans controlled the match from start to finish, getting contributions across the roster in a balanced team effort that Head Coach Vicki Rebling emphasized as the key to victory.
“The key tonight was starting strong, staying strong with our serving, aggressive offense, and energy levels,” Rebling said. “We wanted to stay at the top of our game and to stay off the roller coaster ride tonight where we give momentum to the other team.”
Faith Jones orchestrated the offense with a stellar 42 assists while also adding nine digs and an ace. The senior setter reached two significant career milestones during the match, surpassing 500 career digs and 1,150 set assists.
“I love being able to celebrate milestones for our players. Faith Jones reaching both the 500 career digs mark and 1,150 set assists is very special for her and the teammates that helped contribute to those,” Rebling said. “Having over 500 set assists already this year is pretty impressive, let alone passing the 1,000 career mark. That doesn’t happen all that often. I’m very proud of her and happy to be a part of this journey with her and the team.”
Leah Helmick led the attack with 12 kills, while Natalie Steele added 11 and Elyse Setterstrom contributed seven. Maddy Martin chipped in six kills, and both Jaden Haynes and Bella Buckley finished with five each.
“Every person contributed in some fashion tonight,” Rebling noted. “It’s hard for me to talk about individuals because we play as a team.”
Still, the coach highlighted several standout performances throughout the match.
“Lexi did do a nice job serving for us tonight. Our back row gave many great balls to Faith to add to her set assist total tonight,” Rebling said. “Isabel had a strong serve receive night. Jaden had great blocks at the net. Our front row did well finding holes and hitting spots we’ve been working on.”
Defensively, Isabel McCready anchored the back row with 24 digs while Lexi Mast added 11 as the Trojans totaled 62 team digs. At the net, Haynes provided four blocks with Jones adding two more. Haynes was particularly effective in controlling the second set with her defense in the front row, helping to slow down Keokuk’s attack when they were making it tough for the Trojans.
The serving game proved crucial, with the team posting a 93.8% serving efficiency. Jones, Mallory Wigle, and Steele each recorded an ace.
Fairfield started fast in the opening set, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and never looking back, cruising to a 25-10 victory. The second set proved more competitive, with Keokuk briefly taking a 7-4 lead before the Trojans battled back to tie at 9-9 and eventually pulled away for the 25-18 win. The third set saw Fairfield regain its dominance, building an early 8-2 advantage and closing out the match 25-12.
“Finishing in three sets tonight was a goal from the beginning, so being able to work through a closer second set and end the way we did was really nice,” Rebling said.
The victory keeps Fairfield in sole possession of second place in the conference standings, trailing only undefeated Washington (5-0) heading into the first day of the conference tournament on Monday, October 6th.
“We know the upcoming conference rounds will be tough and we will spend the next few days getting ready for round one,” Rebling said. “These ladies are special and they love playing as a team.”
