Before Tuesday’s match against Fairfield University, Massachusetts Volleyball Head Coach Bonnie Kenny predicted a “dogfight” between the two teams. Little did she know how much of a battle her squad would have to endure.

In the end, however, the Minutewomen had the bigger bite, as they survived a grueling five-game match to defeat the Stags Tuesday night. The Maroon and White jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and managed to hang on as Fairfield battled back and forced the deciding fifth game.

“I thought it was one of the best matches that I’ve ever been associated with,” Kenny said. “It was a very good volleyball match.”

Janeen DeMarte led the Minutewomen with a team high 16 kills and added 18 digs on the defensive side of the ball. Senior leader Lauren Vander Veen chipped in 15 kills and sophomore Nitia Small terminated 13 kills and contributed 10 digs on defense.

For the Stags, Conny Paul and Joanne Saunders were both key factors in the match, just as Kenny predicted prior to the match-up. Paul slammed home 27 kills for Fairfield, while Saunders was nearly as effective on the offensive end with 20 kills. Although both players were a nuisance and difficult to contain, the Maroon and White were able to emerge victorious due to a well-balanced attack.

“Conny Paul killed us,” Kenny said. “But we had five people playing good volleyball, while they only had three.”

“I thought we did a really good job on Saunders,” she added. “She wasn’t nearly as physical as they needed her to be [Tuesday] night.”

Game one saw the Minutewomen gain control of the match after an early deficit to take the game 30-28. Small and senior Lymarie Llovet put home four kills each in the opener. Game two saw much of the same, as the Minutewomen gained control after exchanging the first few points with the Stags. DeMarte put home six of her 16 kills in the second game and had a .500 hitting percentage as the Maroon and White took a 30-25 win.

However, the tide drastically turned in the third game. With UMass up big early, the Stags stampeded back to tie the score at 13, and eventually took a six-point lead at 26-20. A mini-rally by the Minutewomen was not enough to overcome the Fairfield onslaught, as they dropped game three 25-30.

“I think we got impatient, and wanted it to be easier than it was going to be,” Kenny said. “We were all working too hard to get it over too quickly.”

The Stags managed to tie up the match in game four thanks to a 10-0 run midway through the game to go up 16-26. The Minutewomen battled to within six but were unable to completely overcome the deficit as they fell 25-30.

But the Maroon and White buckled down and squeaked out a tight fifth game that saw multiple ties and one-point differences in the score. When UMass took a four-point lead at 12-8 after an ace by freshman Amy Chan, the Stags reeled off a few points of their own and cut the lead to 13-12. However, the Maroon and White closed the door and ended Fairfield’s spirited comeback as Lauren Vander Veen combined on two team blocks for the final two points in the 15-12 victory.

“This match could have gone both ways. We are two very evenly matched teams,” Kenny said.

Judging by the stats, this assertion could not be more correct, as the hitting percentages between the two teams were nearly identical. The Stags hit for a .260 percentage, while the Minutewomen ended with a similar .253 killing percentage. UMass also finished with 12 team blocks, while Fairfield nearly duplicated that mark with 11.5 on the game.

Kenny attributed her team’s victory not only to its play, but also to the attitude it sustained during Fairfield’s rally.

“We were able to sustain a very high intensity the entire match,” she said. “We stayed aggressive, and were not afraid to lose at all.”

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UMass returns to action this weekend as it hosts the two A-10 representatives from the Buckeye State, Xavier and Dayton. Both teams come into the weekend as two of the top teams in the conference and the Minutewomen have quite a challenge ahead of them if they hope to come away with two victories.

“We have a tough weekend ahead of us,” Kenny said. “We’ll need to have two back-to-back matches like we did [Tuesday] night to win them.”

The Lady Musketeers come to Amherst on Friday with a record of 7-1 and are led by senior Sara Bachus, last year’s Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Bachus will be hard to contain, as she has amassed nearly 1,200 kills for her career.

The Flyers will be equally tough, as they handed Xavier its only loss of the year this past weekend and currently have a record of 7-3 on the young season. Dayton is led by Susan Westbrock, a First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection last year and one of the conference’s best players. Grabbing two wins will be no easy task against this tandem of talented squads.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us, but I’m glad we’re playing at home,” Kenny said. “I just hope we can maintain the same intensity [from the Fairfield match].”

Game time is 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights at Curry Hicks Cage.