With a number of streaks on the line Saturday night, the Fordham volleyball team had its back against the wall against the La Salle Explorers. The Rams then rallied for five straight points at the end of the first set, sparking an outstanding effort which led to the team's first win of the season at the Rose Hill Gym.
Final set scores were 26-24, 25-21, and 25-14. It marked Fordham's first win of the season, snapping a 17-match losing streak that dated back to last season, while also being the 30
th straight victory over the Explorers.
The opening set made all the difference for the Rams' confidence. After 11 tie scores and four lead changes, the Rams faced set point at 24-21 in favor of the Explorers. La Salle committed a service error to give Fordham service at 22-24. The Rams then connected for back-to-back kills from
Brennan Delsing and
Brianna O'Neil to knot the score at 24 all. Delsing and
Sarah Skelton then came up with a big block on Laura Kuhlmeier to earn set point for the Rams at 25-24. Delsing then connected on her fifth kill of the set to give Fordham the 26-24 set win. The Rams as a team hit .417 in the set with Delsing and O'Neil combining for nine kills and no errors.
In set two, Fordham jetted out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back, as the Rams held La Salle to a .000 hitting percentage, while hitting just under .300 themselves.
The third set was more of the same, as Fordham jumped out to a 6-1 edge, highlighted by a pair of aces from Delsing and
Grace Muller. The Rams would cruise to an 11-point set win, committing only two errors and hitting .500 for the set.
For Fordham, O'Neil had a team-high 12 kills in 17 attempts for a .706 hitting percentage, while
Lisa Hipp had ten kills and six digs. Hipp's ten kills moved her career total to 1,173, passing Jamee Stimson (1,169 – 2003-06) for sixth place on the Rams' all-time kills list. Delsing finished with nine kills and four digs with
Nicole Freeley adding seven kills and a block.
Abigail Konovodoff and
Emily Fronk shared the setting duties, as Konovodoff had 19 assists, six digs, and three aces, with Fronk had 18 assists and seven digs.
The Fordham volleyball team will next be in action on Tuesday, October 7
th, as the team travels to Lehigh for its final non-conference match, beginning at 7:00 PM.
