FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team begins a three-match week with a midweek contest as they welcome crosstown rival Fairfield University to the William H. Pitt Center on Tuesday, October 28. First Serve in the league battle is set for 7:00 p.m.

LEADING LIBERO
Sophomore libero Miliani Villarreal continues to impress in her second season with the Pioneers, as she ranks first in the conference in total digs (407) and second in digs per set (4.63). This past week, Villarreal averaged 5.14 digs per set in a pair of MAAC matches, with 22 against Merrimack and 14 against Quinnipiac.

BIG IN THE  MIDDLE
Graduate student Cristina Montanez has been a hitting machine in the last few weeks, hitting .500 or better in three-straight matches and is fourth in the MAAC with a team-high .341 attack percentage with 113 kills and just 25 errors in 258 total attempts. Additionally, she leads the Pioneers with 61 total blocks, including a career-high 10 blocks in a four-set win over Marist.

ACROSS THE NET
SCOUTING FAIRFIELD

• The conference leading Stags suffered their first MAAC loss this past weekend at the hands of the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Sandwiching that first loss was five matches where the Stags have swept their opponents, including on Saturday on the road at Merrimack.
• Overall, Fairfield stands at 16-5 on the season and 10-1 in the MAAC, one game ahead of both Quinnipiac and Niagara in the loss column.
• As a team, the Stags lead the MAAC in both points and hitting percentage heading into Tuesday.
• Individually, Maya Walker leads all MAAC hitters with a .400 attack percentage, scattering 152 kills across 79 sets for an average of 1.92. Walker also leads Fairfield with 84 total blocks which is third highest in the league.
• Leading the Stags offense as a whole is Mamie Kruball who enters Tuesday with 221 total kills, an average of 2.87 per set, while hitting .293 combined on the season.

ALL-TIME SERIES

• Despite being just six miles apart, Sacred Heart and Fairfield will meet for just the 13th time in the history of the two programs. Overall, Fairfield leads the all-time series with an 8-4 record.
• Since joining the MAAC, the Stags have won both meetings, taking the road decision in three sets a year ago and defeating the Pioneers in four set at the Pitt Center.