The Fairfield volleyball team picked up their second consecutive conference victory Tuesday, September 29th at Keokuk, sweeping the Chiefs 3-0 with set scores of 26-24, 25-21, and 25-21. Fairfield improves to 7-14 overall and 2-3 in conference play. Keokuk falls to 5-16 overall and 0-5 in conference.
A notable storyline on the night was the return of senior Bella Buckley, who has been sidelined with a fractured hand. Buckley entered the match in the third set and immediately made an impact, leading the team in blocks on the night.
Stats
Natalie Steele, Leah Helmick, and Ireland Cranston each led the offense with 12 kills apiece. Steele was particularly efficient, recording just four kill errors on 25 attempts for a .320 efficiency. Grace Hellweg added three kills, while Ella Bentler and Lexi Mast each contributed one. The team recorded just 25 kill errors on the night. Mast ran the offense with 36 assists, with Helmick and Frances Miller each adding two.
On the service line, Steele led with three aces, while Ava McArtor, Mast, Kate Brecount, and Helmick each added one. The team served at 92.6 percent efficiency. McArtor served at 100 percent on 16 attempts, Mast at 100 percent on nine attempts, and Brecount at 100 percent on 12 attempts.
In the back row, Frances Miller led with 21 digs, followed by Ava McArtor with 19, Helmick with 16, Brecount with 11, Mast with seven, and Steele, Kiley McArtor, and Hellweg each with one.
On blocks, Buckley led the team with three blocks and two block assists, including one solo block, in her limited time on the court. Steele added two blocks and two block assists, while Helmick and Cranston each recorded one block and one block assist.
Coach Rebling’s Thoughts
“We were happy to come away with a conference victory in three sets,” Rebling said. “We struggled at times and gave Keokuk too many momentum shifts. The team buckled down when it mattered and when scores were close. We did a nice job serving again and this was important to dig ourselves out of the hole we found ourselves in at the start of set two. We took advantage of how their defense covered parts of the court so we are executing on certain points of emphasis from practice.”
Rebling also noted that the freshman and JV teams picked up conference wins on the night as well. “The level of play right now is important as we head into conference tournaments across all squads in the next two weeks.”
Fairfield returns to action Thursday, October 1st against Williamsburg, who enters the match at 16-8 overall.
