Box Score Oct. 29, 2010
Box Score
Bronx, N.Y. -
Down two sets to one and trailing 14-9 in the fourth set, things didn't look good for the Fordham University volleyball squad on Friday night. Fordham fought back, eventually winning the fourth set, 26-24, but they couldn't keep the momentum going, dropping the fifth set, 15-11, as Rhode Island took the match-up of the two Atlantic 10 Rams, 3-2.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 14-15 overall, 4-6 in the Atlantic 10, while Rhode Island improves to 12-11, 3-7 in the conference.
Rhode Island hit a blistering .455 in the first set with 17 kills, opening a 12-7 lead on a Kayla Wilson kill and would build the lead to six, 16-10. Fordham responded with three straight points, two on Kate Wells kills, to pull to within three, 16-13, and would make it a two-point game, 17-15, following a Sara Friede service ace. A pair of Kailee May kills a little later in the set pulled Fordham to within one, 19-18, but Rhode Island closed out the set outscoring Fordham 6-2 for the 25-21 win.
Fordham led just about the entire second set, scoring five straight points late in the set to turn a 16-13 lead into a 21-13 advantage and the Rams went on to a 25-16 win. Christi Griffiths led the run with two service aces and a kill as Fordham held Rhode Island to hitting just .090 in the set.
The Rhode Island attacking game returned for the third set as Rhode Island hit .414 in the set while holding Fordham to hitting .160. Despite the statistical difference, Fordham held an 11-9 lead when Rhode Island scored seven consecutive points to go up 16-11 following a block assist from Rachal Zarazan and Jill Anderson and Fordham could get no closer than four the rest of set, falling 25-18.
The fourth set featured nine ties and five lead changes as Rhode Island led 16-10 when Fordham scored eight of the next nine points to take an 18-17 lead on a block assist from Wells and Griffiths. The set would be tied at 18 and then again at 19 when Fordham scored five of the next seven points to take a 24-21 lead. But Rhode Island fought back to tie the set at 24 before Fordham took the set, 26-24, on a May service ace.
Fordham couldn't keep that momentum going in the fifth set as Rhode Island jumped out to a 7-2 lead before Fordham cut the deficit back to two, 7-5, on two Wells kills and a service ace from Kim Capicotto. But Rhode Island got the lead back to five, 10-5, and the closest Fordham would get from that point was three, 14-11, before Rhode Island won the set, 15-11, to win the match, 3-2.
Wells led all players in the game with 17 kills, hitting .355 and adding four block assists, while May added 14 kills, hitting at a .310 clip and adding a team-high 17 digs, and Griffiths added ten kills, hitting .333, with three block assists. Mary Diamantidis finished with a team-best 51 assists along with 12 digs.
The Rams will next be in action on Sunday, October 31st, as they travel down to Philadelphia to face the La Salle University Explorers in an Atlantic 10 contest at 2:00 p.m.
