Volleyball Returns to the Bronx to Host George Mason, George Washington

Watch vs. George Mason | Live Stats
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham volleyball team (8-7, 0-2 A-10) finally returns home after eight matches on the road for four matches over the next two weekends. First up will be George Mason (5-10, 1-1 A-10) and George Washington (5-11, 1-1 A-10) this Friday night at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m., respectively.
 
Only Friday's contest will be streamed live on the A-10 Digital Network, but both matches will have live stats at the link above.
 
Last Time Out
Fordham stumbled to close out its lengthy road swing and open conference play with a pair of straight-set losses, first at Davidson and then VCU last weekend. The Rams battled in each match over hotly contested first and second sets, but ran out of steam in the third frame of each. Sophomore Kaitlin Morley stepped up with consecutive 13-kill matches, one shy of her career-high, while classmate Olivia Fairchild failed to tally double-digit kills in consecutive matches for the first time in her young career. Junior Olivia LaPorta continued her excellent two-way play, with three kills and three blocks in each contest. Morley added 11 digs against Davidson for a double-double and two aces against VCU, while Fairchild tallied three more aces against the Wildcats to bump her up to 27 on the year.  
 
Series Histories
The Rams and Patriots have met just seven times since the latter joined the Atlantic 10 prior to the 2013 season but they still hold a slim 4-3 advantage since then. Fordham took the first contest that year, at home, but have dropped one in every year since. The schools have met all four years but only once in 2015, with Mason sweeping the Rams on the road. Last year, Fordham and George Mason each won on the road, the most recent coming in a tough five-set loss last November in the Bronx. Fordham holds a 2-1 record against the Patriots at home.
 
The all-time series with George Washington is lengthier, however, dating back to the Rams' first year in the league, in 1995. The Colonials have basically dominated Fordham since then, and hold a 32-9 all-time lead. George Washington took all but one contest across the two schools' first 18 meetings, before Fordham won both match-ups in 2004. Since 2010, the Colonials hold a 7-2 advantage, but Fordham won both home and away last year, including a four-set victory at home and a sweep on the road.
 
Aces in the Hole
The Rams are the number two school in the nation in regards to aces per set, at a 2.12 clip, and third overall with 110 total. Prior to last weekend, they were tops in the country in the former stat. Two weekends ago, Fairchild tallied 11 aces just during a Saturday doubleheader against Brooklyns LIU and St. Francis, moving her all the way up to 17^th nationally, a spot she held onto over this past weekend with three more aces, giving her 27 on the year. The sophomore is just 25 away from entering the all-time top-10 at Fordham. Freshman McKenna Lahr is stuck on 20 after missing time recently but is still ranked in the top-100 (82^nd).
 
Williams Digs Into History
Despite a loss to Cleveland State, sophomore libero Williams tied a program record with 22 digs in just three sets during Fordham's home opener. Williams' personal best is 26, set at New Orleans on opening day earlier this year. The talented sophomore's 4.25 digs per set average would easily be a new single-season record. She's on pace, also, to tally a top-three total digs number, as well.
 
Where They Stand
With Williams on pace to improve upon last year's numbers at the libero position and potentially set at least one record, there are several other players on pace to finish within a single-season top-10. Fairchild and LaPorta, with hit percentages of .299 and .266, currently rank sixth and just outside the top-10, respectively, while Fairchild's 3.67 kills per set would rank fourth in a season. Fairchild owns the single-season record, set last year, with 4.30, the only Ram to ever record four kills or more in school history. Fairchild and Lahr's aforementioned baseline prowess has them currently fifth (0.52) and fourth (0.59), respectively, in aces per set. Williams' 4.25 digs per set pace would see her break the single-season record and become just the second player to ever average over four per frame, besting Jenn Shea's 4.10 mark in 1994.
 
Up Next
The Rams host Dayton and Saint Louis next weekend on back-to-back days. The Flyers visit the Bronx next Friday, October 6, at 7 p.m., while the Bilikens arrive for a 7 p.m. encounter the next night.