Box Score Oct. 26, 2012
Final Stats
Bronx, N.Y. -
Winning is part opportunity and part taking advantage of those opportunities. The Fordham volleyball squad had opportunities against Butler University on Friday night but the Rams couldn't take advantage of them, falling to the Bulldogs, 3-0, in an Atlantic 10 match in the Rose Hill Gym. Scores of the sets were 25-21, 33-31 and 25-23.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 13-16 overall, 5-5 in the Atlantic 10, while Butler improves to 13-11 overall, 3-7 in the conference.
Fordham's biggest opportunity came in set two when the Rams faced six set points but couldn't find the winner as Butler took the set, 33-31. The set featured 21 ties and ten lead changes.
Butler took the first set, 25-21, as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 4-1 lead. But the Rams came back, knotting the game at six on a Butler attack error, the first of three ties over the next four points. With the score tied at eight, Butler ran off four of the next five points to take a 12-9 lead. Fordham closed to within one, 12-11, on a pair of Lisa Hipp kills but the Bulldogs responded by bumping the lead to four, 18-14, later in the set. The Rams cut the deficit to two, 18-16, following a Carina Thompson kill, and Fordham again trailed by two, 21-19, after a Hipp kill. Butler then scored three of next four points to make it a 24-20 set and, after a Randi Ewing kill pulled the Rams to within three, won the set on a Claire Randich kill.
The second set was a hotly contested affair as Fordham opened a 6-2 lead before Butler scored four straight to knot the set at six. After that, neither team led by more than two points throughout the set. The Rams had their first set point at 24-23 but an attack error allowed the Bulldogs to tie the game at 24. Fordham then had five more chances to win the set, the final one coming as the Rams took a 30-29 lead on a Butler attack error. But consecutive kills from Randich and Stephanie Kranda helped the Bulldogs take a 31-30 lead. A Ewing kill tied the set at 31 but back-to-back Kelly Kyle kills gave the set to Butler, 33-31.
The Rams notched a .303 hitting percentage in the third set but the Bulldogs were just as hot, hitting at a .407 clip. The set featured eight ties, the second-to-last tie coming at 17-17 following a Hipp kill. Butler then took the lead, 18-17, on a Fordham service error but the Rams stayed close, trailing by just one, 23-22, after a Butler attack error. A Brianna O'Neil killed tied the set at 23 but a Kyle kill and Fordham attack error gave the Bulldogs a 25-23 win.
Hipp led the Rams with 13 kills while O'Neil and Ewing each added eleven with Ewing hitting .556 (11-18) in the match. Sara Konkel notched a double-double with 37 assists and 16 digs.
The Rams return to action on Saturday night, October 27, as they host the Saint Louis University Billikens in an Atlantic 10 match in the Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 PM. The match will be Fordham's Dig Pink match and all fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer and the team will be collecting donations and taking pledges throughout the match for the Side-Out Foundation.
