Fairfax, Va. – The Fordham volleyball team dropped its first set at George Mason but stormed back to win the next three sets to take down the Patriots in four thanks in part to
Olivia Fairchild's school record 24 kills. With the win, the Rams improve to 10-9 (3-1 A-10) on the season, while the Patriots fall to 4-13 (0-4 A-10) overall. After two weeks, Fordham sits in third place in the league standings.
"This group has fight and really knows how to battle. It was great to see them bounce back and play with grit," head coach
Gini Ullery said, "I am very proud of the resilience we have. This was a great weekend for us."
The Rams were led by freshman Fairchild's season-high 24 kills (.283), plus 11 kills each from
Kristen Ostach and
Kaitlin Morley. Fairchild set the new program mark for a four-set match.
Fordham started sluggishly, committing several errors and allowing the hosts to start with seven straight points. George Mason steadily built its lead up, eventually leading by 11 points, 18-7, before Fordham made a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to four. The Patriots only allowed three more points towards a 25-17 final line. The Rams may have found their momentum in the second set, starting strongly out of the break and leading for most of the game. The Patriots kept things close and took a 21-20 lead on a kill by Tiffany Clarke. They would reach set point but couldn't capitalize on two opportunities, as a service error and a Morley kill tied things up. Fordham kept it up and kills by Ostach and Morley completed the mini-comeback.
With momentum on their side, the Rams sprinted away in the third frame to reverse the first set's score and go up a set on their opponents. After several lead changes early on, Fordham pulled away. Starting at 8-8, the Rams pulled away with a 17-9 run. The Patriots had a late charge, cutting the lead to just three, 20-17, but Fordham held its ground and took the next five points, capped off by an Ostach kill.
The Rams continued their torrid pace, sprinting out to a 17-5 lead in the fourth frame. George Mason again rallied late but was too far behind, eventually falling, 25-19.
Fairchild totaled match-highs with 24 kills and four aces, adding nine digs and two block assists. Ostach enjoyed a new season-high with 11 kills on a super-efficient .500 attack percentage, the second-highest by a Ram with at least 10 attempts on the season. Ostach also recorded a solo swat and three assists. Morley double-doubled for the third time in her last four games with 10 digs to go with her 11 kills, also adding three block assists.
Maddy Walsh assisted on 50 points, the third time the sophomore has eclipsed the half-century mark, while
Morgan Williams added 16 digs. Defensively, the Rams tallied nine total blocks, matching their season-high.
The Rams return home for a back-to-back in the Bronx, hosting Saint Louis on Friday afternoon in the annual Dig Pink match. Dayton visits the Rose Hill Gym the following day. Both matches are slated to begin at 5 p.m.
