In a repeat of the 2022 MAAC Championship, the 2023 tournament had a different ending. The Fairfield Stags were able to beat the reigning MAAC Champs, the Quinnipiac Bobcats and take back their thrown winning three sets to one. This would be the 13th time in program history that the Stags would be named MAAC Champions.

Quinnipiac and Fairfield have started a new in-conference rivalry after last season. The Bobcats had a breakthrough last season and were able to win the MAAC Championship as the sixth seed. This was an upset since Fairfield last seen since they had been MAAC Tournament Champs since the 2019 season.

Quinnipiac and Fairfield had two matchups this season prior to this game with every match this season going to four sets. In October during the first match of the season, the Stags would win 3-1 with the Bobcats, in their second in-season match-up, would then win 3-1. Both teams during the season would be fighting each other to be ranked number one in the MAAC.

Going into the championship game, both teams played the night before going to four sets. Fairfield took down the number five Rider and Quinnipiac defeated the sixth-seeded Iona Gaels. 

The first set went to the Stags with a score of 26-24. After being down 18-22, the Bobcats were able to go on a four-point run to tie up the set at 22-22 with Aryanah Diaz and Alexendra Tenon leading this run. Fairfield would get the set winning point of an attack error from Tenon.

The second set would go to Fairfield with a score of 25-14. Fairfield would go on a seven-to-none run easily giving them the set. The Bobcats needed help figuring out how to break down the Stags offense and defense. The team also was having problems receiving the ball. Fairfield’s Mikayla Huats had seven kills in this set. 

The third set was important to both teams, it could either end the match for the Stags or could be the turning point for the Bobcats. 

“Yeah, it’s just like the game so you have to fight when it’s do or die,” said head coach Kyle Robinson. “Champions fight back.”

The Bobcats would take the third set 25-16. They would start the match with an 8-1 run and keep the momentum throughout with Fairfield making a lot of errors giving the Bobcats easy points. Diaz and Ginevra Giovagnoni would lead the team to win this set. 

The momentum would leave the Bobcats and go to the Stags winning the final set 25-20. The Bobcats were able to cut the score to 18-20, but the efforts were too late. Diaz would lead the team in kills with 20 and Damla Gunes led the team with 48 assists. 

The Bobcat season did end on a loss, but it was by no means an unsuccessful season. They ended their season 19-10 overall and 14-4 in conference play. They also had players named with awards. Leilani-kai Giusta was named to MAAC All-Rookie Team. Diaz and Giovagnoni were named to the All-MAAC First Team. For the first time in school history, Damla Gunes was named MAAC Setter of the Year.

“Yeah, I was proud of what we got out of the competition and the way we competed,” said Robinson.