The Fairfield Volleyball team emerged victorious from an intense, five-set conference battle against Mount Pleasant, winning 3-2 with set scores of 25-23, 22-25, 26-24, 18-25, and 15-7. The hard-fought victory moves the Trojans to an impressive 3-1 conference record, giving them sole possession of second place.
After having the honor and pleasure to have a conversation with Head Coach Vicki Rebling, she praised her team’s mental fortitude and hustle throughout the grueling match. “We never counted ourselves out tonight,” Coach Rebling said. “We are scrappy and never want to be out hustled. We can handle hard better together and it shows in our team play. It takes all of us. Every player contributes on our team.”
The Trojans’ offense was powered by a collective effort at the net and precise ball-handling from their setter. Faith Jones ran the offense masterfully, distributing 48 assists on the night. The team’s hitting strength was spread across the lineup, with Elyse Setterstrom leading the charge with 18 kills, followed closely by Natalie Steele with 17 kills, and Leah Helmick adding 10 kills. Maddy Martin tallied six kills, while Jaden Haynes chipped in four kills and a team-high four blocks. Steele and Setterstrom each contributed two blocks, and Helmick added one block.
Despite racking up 34 kill errors on the night, Fairfield’s front row found ways to compensate and stay aggressive. Head Coach Vicki Rebling emphasized their ability to balance the mistakes: “Our front row got great touches and blocks at key moments,” she noted. “We had some great placements and overcame some hitting errors. We didn’t get frazzled and kept our composure throughout the night.”
The match turned on key plays and composure. Coach Rebling specifically pointed to a crucial moment in set three for set point. “Lexie and Isabel made a tremendous hustle play by keeping the ball alive and bettering the ball to earn that final point of the set. It was amazing and gave us the momentum heading into set four and even into set five.”
The momentum proved decisive in the fifth set, which Fairfield dominated 15-7 after going ahead 9-1. “We knew we needed to finish strong in set five and we came out very strong and didn’t give them much chance to gain any advantage or run,” Rebling noted. “We wanted to take control from the start and we hit some great shots and served awesome all night.” The team finished the match with a 96% serving efficiency, led by Steele’s three aces and Mallory Wigle’s one ace.
Defensively, the back row was stellar, keeping rallies alive and enabling the offense to function. Four Trojans recorded double-digit digs: Isabel McCready with a team-high 27 digs, Mallory Wigle with 23 digs, Faith Jones with 21 digs, and Iris Lane with 18 digs. Lexi Mast added nine digs.
“Our backrow had an awesome night digging balls which allowed us to put a ball up to be more offensive minded and allowed us to run the offense instead of sending over free balls,” Coach Rebling explained. “We didn’t get frazzled and kept our composure throughout the night. I’m super proud of everyone. Our sideline is great at communicating with those on the court and bringing the energy.”
The match was a rollercoaster of momentum, with the Trojans fighting through runs and rallies across all five sets:
- Set 1 (25-23): Fairfield fell behind early, down 1-4, before mounting a strong comeback to take an 8-4 lead, which they extended to 11-5 and then 13-9. Mount Pleasant clawed their way back to tie the score at 15-15, but Fairfield pushed ahead again to 22-18. After another tie at 23-23, the Trojans managed to secure the final two points and win 25-23.
- Set 2 (22-25): The second set was evenly matched, tied at 8-8, before a strong serving run by Isabel McCready propelled Fairfield to a 14-8 lead. They maintained a small cushion at 17-13, but Mount Pleasant mounted their own comeback to tie it at 19-19 and then pull ahead 20-22, ultimately taking the set 22-25.
- Set 3 (26-24): Fairfield started strong with a 4-1 lead before the set tightened up at 9-9. Mount Pleasant took control, leaving the Trojans down 14-17, and then significantly behind 17-22. However, a key serving run by Faith Jones fueled a massive comeback, putting Fairfield up 23-22. After falling behind on the set point 23-24, Fairfield won the final three points—including the set-winner on the “amazing hustle play” by Isabel McCready and Lexi Mast—to steal the set 26-24.
- Set 4 (18-25): The Trojans again started well with a 5-2 lead, but the set quickly devolved into a series of ties at 7-7 and 11-11. Mount Pleasant then found their rhythm, pulling away 13-17, extending the lead to 16-22, and closing out the set 18-25 to force the decisive fifth set.
- Set 5 (15-7): The final set was all Fairfield, as they surged to a commanding 9-1 lead. Mount Pleasant briefly stabilized the score at 10-6, but the Trojans maintained their control and finished the set strong, winning 15-7 to take the match 3-2.
Looking forward, the coach is confident in the team’s trajectory. “Anytime you can grind out a win at this point in the season is beneficial going into future matches,” she concluded. “When we play Fairfield volleyball good things can happen and these young ladies can play. We will get back to work on fine tuning more of the fundamentals and decision-making/choices the rest of the week and get ready for our next competition date.”
Speaking of the next competition date, Fairfield will be back in action at home next Tuesday, September 30th, as they host a conference matchup with Keokuk.
