The Fairfield volleyball team opened its 2026 season with a 2-0 night at the Steve Hisel Triangular on Thursday, August 27th, defeating WACO 2-0 and coming back to beat Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 2-1 in front of a large and energetic home crowd that included a student section complete with cardboard cutout faces of several players. Notably absent is Jaden Haynes, who led the team in blocks with 42 last season but did not come out for her senior year.
Match 1 — vs. WACO (2-0)
After dropping the very first point of their season, Fairfield responded emphatically in the first set. A serving rally from Bella Buckley pushed the lead to 6-1, and the Trojans never looked back. They led 7-4, then extended to 12-5 and 15-8 before stretching the advantage to 20-9, forcing a WACO timeout. Fairfield closed out the set 25-13.
The second set saw Fairfield jump out to a 5-1 lead off a serving rally from Lexi Mast before WACO responded to tie the set at 8-8. A huge serving run from Leah Helmick pushed the lead back to 16-8, forcing another WACO timeout. The Warriors made it 16-13, but Fairfield pushed back to 20-13 — forcing a third WACO timeout — before the Warriors made one more run to cut it to 20-16. Fairfield closed out the set 25-18.
Helmick led the offense with six kills, while Ireland Cranston and Josie Mosinski each contributed three kills and Natalie Steele added two. Buckley ran the offense with 14 assists, with Helmick adding one. On the service line, Steele led with three aces, Buckley added two, and Frances Miller and Mast each contributed one. Defensively, Ella Bentler recorded two blocks, while Steele, Buckley, and Cranston each added one. No digs were recorded. The team served at 93.8 percent efficiency.
Head Coach Vicki Rebling was pleased with how the team came out in the opener. “Starting off strong against WACO was important to settle the nerves for all players for the first match of the season,” Rebling said. “We had several new faces on the court and playing at home in a great atmosphere is both exciting and rewarding. We did a great job on making smart decisions based on our approaches to the ball. Serving was a huge key to our overall success.”
Match 2 — vs. EBF (2-1)
The second match was a different story early. Fairfield led 8-5 in the first set before EBF took over, going ahead 11-9 and extending the lead to 18-13 before the Trojans called timeout at 23-18. Fairfield could not recover, falling 25-18 amid a number of miscues.
The second set was a tightly contested back-and-forth battle. The teams were tied at 4, 7, and 10 before Fairfield broke through to lead 16-12. EBF responded to tie it at 17 before taking a 20-19 lead, prompting a Fairfield timeout. An EBF ace made it 21-19, but the Trojans rallied to tie at 22 before a Buckley kill made it 23-22. An ace by Helmick pushed the lead to 24-22, forcing an EBF timeout. Helmick then closed out the set 25-22 with another ace that came off a Rocket player and went out of bounds.
EBF scored the opening point of the third set, but Fairfield immediately responded with one of the swings of the match — back-to-back-to-back aces by Frances Miller pushed the lead to 6-1 and completely changed the complexion of the set. The Trojans extended to 11-4 before EBF clawed back to make it 12-11. A huge kill down the line by Steele pushed the lead back to 13-11, and back-to-back EBF errors — hitting the ball into the net on consecutive plays — sealed the 15-11 victory.
Helmick was dominant in the second match with eight kills, while Steele added four, Cranston three, and Buckley and Kiley McArtor each contributed one. Buckley and Bella McClaran split setting duties, with Buckley recording six assists and McClaran adding five, while Helmick chipped in one. Defensively, Bentler and Cranston each recorded two blocks. Mast led the back row with five digs, while Miller, Steele, and Buckley each added four. On the service line, Miller’s three aces in the third set were pivotal in swinging momentum, while Helmick and McClaran each added two and Cranston contributed one. The team served at 92.7 percent efficiency.
Rebling said EBF’s scrappiness required adjustment. “EBF was scrappy and got several balls up. We always know they are going to be a competitive team and have solid fundamentals,” she said. “We needed to get more on the offensive side of the ball and get our passes and digs back on track. Our serving was solid at the end of set two and carried over into set three. Being able to work through situations and circumstances with several players tonight and how the players stepped up to the task was awesome.”
On what the team needed to adjust to against EBF after facing WACO, Rebling said: “We needed to adjust to the EBF hitters being aggressive and taking aggressive shots offensively and on their serves.”
On what swung momentum in the final two sets, Rebling pointed to serving and communication. “Our serving and getting some timely blocks or touches on balls,” she said. “We also trusted each other and kept communicating with each other. Our sideline helpers were energetic and helpful in recognizing where the open spots were and passing that formation along to teammates.”
Rebling had high praise for the energy of her senior class. “The seniors were so ready to come out and play tonight,” she said. “The smiles on their faces and their energy was infectious. They get super excited for each other. And their teammates get just as excited for them. They play with joy.”
On the overall team effort, Rebling noted that rotation adjustments were required throughout the night but every player was ready when called upon. “Every player contributed tonight. We had to adjust our rotations due to some precautionary measures so their adaptability to work through these conditions was appreciated. Everyone was ready to do their part when called upon and flexible to take on some different roles or switch between positions.”
Regarding the setter situation, Rebling explained that Buckley’s calf is being managed carefully. Buckley, who returns as the team’s primary setter after Faith Jones graduated following a 751-assist senior season, had backup in Bella McClaran throughout the night. “We are treating Bella Buckley’s calf with some extra care right now so we developed backup plans for tonight in case she needed to rest or needed to sit out completely,” Rebling said. “We were in constant communication tonight to make sure she was feeling OK as the night progressed. We want her to be able to play the entire season while she continues to get her strength built back up. Both setters that I asked to dress with varsity tonight were ready to help at any given moment.”
Rebling also noted that Steele was on limited play Thursday evening, with extra precautions being taken with her over the next several days in both volleyball and tennis. Steele returns for her senior season after leading Fairfield last year with 217 kills and 38 service aces.
Looking ahead, Rebling said the team will return to the gym Friday before Saturday’s tournament. “We are going to get back in the gym tomorrow to continue to work. Saturday will be a very competitive tournament. We will continue to learn from these experiences, and Saturday’s schedule will help us grow as a team.”
Fairfield opens the season 2-0 and heads to the Grinnell Invite on Saturday, August 29th, with competition beginning at 9:00 a.m.
