Watch vs. New Orleans
Live Stats (all three games)
Bronx, N.Y. – The 2017 campaign is just a day away for the Fordham volleyball program, as the Rams head to New Orleans for a three-match tournament at the University of New Orleans. Fordham will face off against Southeast Missouri State on Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. before playing the hosts in the evening at 7 p.m. Both times are eastern. The Rams will round out the weekend with a 12 p.m. EST match-up with Alcorn State on Saturday. Game coverage is listed above.
"We are excited to start get our year kicked off in New Orleans," says fifth-year head coach
Gini Ullery-Shrift, "Our athletes have been battling and competing to get us ready the last few weeks. Our focus is to compete to be our best selves this weekend and continually learn to adapt to the situations around us."
Season Review/Preview
The Rams ended their 2016 season with an 11-18 overall record and a 4-10 mark in conference action, missing out on a postseason berth by one spot. The team struggled with injuries to key players throughout the entire campaign, with outside hitter
Breanna Jones, a sophomore captain, and right-side hitter
Natalie Martinez, limited to just 42 sets apiece, while middle hitter
Olivia LaPorta and setter
Emily Fronk, a junior captain, appeared in just 27 and 24 sets, respectively.
Despite the injuries, a talented incoming class stepped up in a big way. Leading the way was the Atlantic 10 and ECAC Rookie of the Year
Olivia Fairchild, who's 477 kills were the fourth-most in a single season in program history. Fairchild, one of two players along with classmate
Morgan Williams, to appear in all 111 sets, averaged 4.30 kills per set, a new program record, smacked 57 aces, and tallied 229 digs, second-most in the squad. Fairchild was named Second Team All-Conference and to the All-Rookie team. Williams, meanwhile, set freshman records for digs (378) and digs per set (3.41), the former also serving as the 10
th-highest tally in school history. Fellow freshmen
Kaitlin Morley and
Elise Benjamin also played heavy minutes, playing in 28 and 25 matches and making 25 and 24 starts, respectively. Morley finished second on the team with 228 kills and 41 aces, while Benjamin notched 101 kills and a team-high 71 total blocks. Sophomore
Maddy Walsh stepped in to replace Fronk and notched 938 assists before missing time at season's end due to injury.
Fifth-year head coach
Gini Ullery-Shrift returns all but one player from last year's squad and has added four players to this year's roster. Most importantly, the team is healthy entering the season, pairing the upperclassmen that missed time a year ago with the group that enjoyed success in their stead. Jones and Fronk retain their status as team captains. Joining the team is outside hitter
McKenna Lahr, libero
Alena Cashdan, setter
Sophia Plett, and sophomore libero
Michelle Rodriguez.
The Rams were picked to finish eighth in the
recently announced Atlantic 10 preseason coaches' poll.
Season Openers
Under Ullery-Shrift, the Rams are 2-2 in season-opening games. Her 2013 team swept Savannah State at the Winthrop Classic, while last year's group defeated Lehigh in five sets at the Blue Devil Classic. Fairchild and Morley announced themselves to Rams fans with 23 and 14 kills, respectively, while Jones tallied 12. Williams recorded 18 digs and Walsh notched 51 assists.
Series Histories
The Rams have never before met Alcorn State and Southeast Missouri State. Fordham did, however, play New Orleans in 2015 but fell in four sets at the Florida Gulf Coast Garden Inn/Homewood Suites Classic. Martinez led the way with 13 kills followed by Jones' nine. Fronk assisted on 28 kills and co-led with 15 digs alongside
Clarissa Cartledge.
Up Next
The annual Battle of the Bronx takes place at Manhattan next Wednesday night in Riverdale, N.Y. at 7 p.m.
