Box Score Sept. 15, 2009
Box Score
Fairfield, Conn. -
In what seemed like deja vú, Fordham went down two sets to one against the Fairfield Stags for the second straight year, but rallied back to win the final two sets and win the match in five at Alumni Hall in Fairfield, Conn. Final set scores were 22-25, 25-20, 14-25, 25-17, and 15-9.
With the win, Fordham improves to 8-4 on the season, extending their win streak to six matches. The Stags fall to 2-9, while the home opening loss was rare as the Stags had a combined 30-2 record at home over the last three seasons.
In the opening set, the score was tied at 17 before Fairfield scored six of the next nine points, including a pair of aces to go up 23-20, and eventually took the set, 25-22. Brianne Dixion led the Stags with four kills and six digs in the set.
Fordham rebounded in the second set, leading by as many as seven points, taking it, 25-20, capped by a Jenna Hart kill. Fordham was led by Christi Griffiths with three kills and three blocks.
The seesaw action continued as Fairfield cruised to a 25-14 third set win, as the Rams committed 11 attack errors in the set.
In set four, the roller coaster match kept rolling as Fordham once again bounced back, taking an 18-12 lead, capped by two Katie Wells kills. Fordham held onto that six-point edge, 22-16, on an ace by Sara Friede, and later forced a deciding set, 25-17, after a Fairfield error. The Rams hit .306 in the fourth set, led by three kills each by Wells, Griffiths and Hart.
In the deciding set with the score tied at four, Fordham went on a 5-0 run to take a 9-4 advantage. After the Stags cut the lead to 10-7, Fordham won a big rally point with key digs by Kim Capicotto and Friede, keeping the point alive. Fordham then closed out the match on a kill by Griffiths to win, 15-9.
For Fordham, Griffiths finished with 10 kills and six blocks, while Wells had 12 kills and three blocks. Friede ended the match with nine kills, 19 digs, and three aces with Kailee May having a double-double with 10 kills and 16 digs. Capicotto dished out 41 assists in the match with Megan Arend having 16 digs defensively.
The Fordham volleyball team will head out west to compete in the Cal St. Fullerton tournament, held September 18-19. While there, Fordham will meet Long Beach State, seventh-ranked UCLA, and host Cal. St. Fullerton.
