The Fairfield Trojans volleyball team put together a strong performance at the Oskaloosa Invitational Tournament on Saturday, October 11th, finishing with a 3-1 record and pushing their season mark past the 20-win milestone.
The Trojans now stand at 20-11 overall after defeating Marshalltown, Oskaloosa, and Mount Pleasant, while dropping a close three-set match to Ottumwa. Des Moines North dropped out of the competition.
The tournament also marked a significant individual milestone, as senior libero Isabel McCready surpassed 850 career digs.
Tournament Results
Fairfield def. Marshalltown 2-1 (21-18, 17-21, 15-5)
Fairfield opened tournament play with a hard-fought victory over Marshalltown. Faith Jones orchestrated the offense with 17 assists and added three kills and three aces. Elyse Setterstrom and Leah Helmick each led the attack with five kills, while Jaden Haynes, Natalie Steele, and Maddy Martin contributed three kills apiece.
Defensively, Isabel McCready anchored the back row with 11 digs, and Iris Lane added eight. Haynes led the block party with two, while Setterstrom, Steele, Helmick, and Jones each recorded one. The Trojans served at 82.4% efficiency, with Steele adding two aces and Mallory Wigle, Lane, and Lexi Mast each contributing one. The team committed eight kill errors in the match.
Fairfield def. Oskaloosa 2-0 (21-9, 23-21)
The Trojans dominated the first set against the host Indians before holding on in a tight second set. This marked the first meeting between the two teams since last season’s Oskaloosa Tournament.
Jones continued her strong play with 14 assists and was particularly effective from the service line, recording six aces. Steele powered the offense with seven kills, while Martin, Bella Buckley, and Helmick each added two. McCready, Setterstrom, and Jones each contributed one kill.
The back row was balanced with Wigle and Jones each recording six digs, McCready adding five, and Mast contributing four. The serving game was exceptional, with the team posting an 89.2% serving efficiency. Lane, Steele, and McCready each added an ace alongside Jones’s six. Fairfield committed eight kill errors.
Ottumwa def. Fairfield 2-1 (17-21, 22-20, 17-15)
In a rematch from earlier in the season at the Ottumwa tournament—where Fairfield also fell—the Trojans couldn’t quite finish off the Bulldogs despite winning the opening set. This marked the second meeting between the two teams this season.
Helmick had her best offensive performance of the day with 11 kills, while Jones distributed 23 assists and added four kills of her own. Steele chipped in five kills as the team combined for 26 kills overall but struggled with 14 kill errors.
McCready led all players with 10 digs, while Mast, Lane, and Wigle each recorded ten and Jones added seven. Haynes continued her strong blocking with two more rejections, and Buckley added one. Steele served up three aces, Lane had two, and the team maintained an 83.7% serving efficiency.
Fairfield def. Mount Pleasant 2-1 (15-21, 21-10, 15-13)
The Trojans closed out the tournament with their sixth meeting against Mount Pleasant this season, improving to 4-2 in the season series. Fairfield rebounded from a first-set loss to dominate the second set and hold on in a close third.
Jones again facilitated the offense with 23 assists, while Buckley and Helmick shared team-high honors with six kills each. Steele and Haynes each contributed four kills, and Setterstrom added three. The team committed 11 kill errors.
McCready had a monster defensive performance with 20 digs, while Mast, Jones, and Wigle each added six. The blocking was distributed among Haynes, Steele, Jones, and Buckley, who each recorded one. Mast served two aces and Wigle added one, as the Trojans posted their best serving efficiency of the day at 93.9%.
McCready Reaches Career Milestone
The tournament weekend also provided an opportunity to celebrate Isabel McCready’s remarkable achievement. Congratulations to McCready on reaching the 850 dig mark—an amazing career accomplishment. The senior libero totaled 46 digs across the four tournament matches, including a dominant 20-dig performance against Mount Pleasant. With several matches remaining in the regular season and postseason play ahead, she’s not done yet and will continue adding to her impressive total while anchoring the Trojans’ defense.
Coach’s Perspective
“Saturday went well overall,” said Head Coach Vicki Rebling. “We had a few hard fought sets at times throughout the day and we had a few moments that we inflicted ourselves more than the other team outplayed us. The team gave great effort, hustle, and it was exciting to run our offense.”
Looking Ahead
With 20 wins now under their belt, the Trojans continue conference tournament play tonight, October 13th, in Keokuk, facing Fort Madison and Washington on day two of the tournament. Fairfield will then close out regular season play at home on Thursday, October 16th with senior night against Albia.
Edited for Corrections
