George Mason Live Video (Free) George Mason Live StatsGeorge Washington Live StatsBRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham women's volleyball team (8-16, 2-5 A-10) has a very important Atlantic 10 road weekend starting Friday at George Mason (7-14, 2-5 A-10) and ending Saturday at George Washington (16-7, 5-2 A-10). Both matches start at 7 p.m., while Friday's contest will be streamed online for free.
The Rams head into Friday night's match inside the Recreation Athletic Complex in a four-way tie with the Patriots for the sixth and final playoff spot, with Davidson and VCU also part of the equation. A win would move Fordham out of the traffic and give the Rams momentum heading into Saturday's match against the third-place Colonials inside the Charles E. Smith Center.
Last Time OutFordham is coming off a four-set loss at Rhode Island last Saturday. The offense was led by freshman
Breanna Jones' 15 kills and sophomore
Emily Fronk's 30 assists and career-high three service aces. Senior
Brennan Delsing led the defense with 14 digs, while junior
Kristen Ostach tallied a team-best three total blocks.
Rhode Island scored nine of the first 10 points in the opening set and never looked back. Fordham battled back to within five at 12-7, but it was the closest they would come, as URI outscored the Rams, 13-9, to claim the first set, 25-16, for a 1-0 lead.
The second set saw the home team tally nine of the first 11 points. Fordham was never able to manufacture any sort of a run, which allowed Rhode Island to cruise to the 25-12 victory and a 2-0 lead.
Fordham spotted URI a 14-10 advantage in the third set, before four straight points, which include a pair of service aces from Fronk and a Jones' kill, tied the set at 14-14. After the home team regained the lead at 20-17 and then 22-20, the Rams scored four straight, with Jones' kill giving Fordham set point at 24-22. URI would make it 23-22, but a service error allowed the Rams to win the third set, 25-23, while slicing the deficit to 2-1.
The fourth set was tied four times early on, with the last time coming at 7-7, before Rhode Island took the lead for good with three straight points. Fordham battled back to a 14-12 deficit, but the home team took control to comfortably win the fourth set, 25-18, and the match, 3-1.
George Mason2015 Season: 7-14 (2-5 A-10)
When: Friday, Oct. 23 - 7 p.m.
Where: Fairfax, Va. (Recreation Athletic Complex)
What You Need To Know: The Patriots enter Friday's match on a high note after winning in four sets at La Salle last Sunday to snap a three-match losing streak. Mason has only been victorious twice over its last 11 matches, with the lone win coming on the road at VCU. In conference play, the Colonials have lost in three sets to Dayton and Saint Louis at home; in four sets at George Washington and Davidson; and in five sets at Duquesne. Morghan Martin is the top scorer for Mason, as she leads the team in both kills (229) and service aces (24) while adding 80 digs. Two setters have been used, with Caitlyn Hipsher leading the way with 372 assists and Montana Green adding 319. Tiffany Clark is second on the team in both kills (167) and total blocks (71), while Lola Owokoniran has a team-high 88 total blocks and the third-most kills with 127. Sydney Fanoga is the fourth Patriot player who is over the century mark in kills with 114, and she also has the second-most service aces (19) and third-most total blocks (69). Jelena Cobanovic and Erica Partridge lead the way in digs with 221 and 174, respectively.
George Washington2015 Season: 16-7 (5-2, A-10)
When: Saturday, Oct. 24 - 7 p.m.
Where: Washington, D.C. (Charles E. Smith Center)
What You Need To Know: The Colonials, who host Rhode Island Friday night, have won three straight after dropping back-to-back home matches to Saint Louis (five sets) and Dayton (three sets), which snapped a four-match win streak. They have beaten every other team in the Atlantic 10 except URI and the Rams. Chidima Osuchukwu is one of the top front-line players in the conference, as she leads GW with 336 kills and 129 total blocks, with the latter tops in the league, while Kelsey Clark adds 219 kills, 133 digs and 28 total blocks. Jordan Timmer has the second-most assists in the conference with 956 and adds 204 digs, 69 total blocks and 13 service aces. Defensively, Maddy Doyle has the most digs in the Atlantic 10 with 382 while chipping in 80 assists and a team-high 21 service aces. Maggie Skjelbred is another top front-court performer with 185 kills and 72 total blocks.
Up NextThe Rams return to action Friday, Oct. 30 when they return to the Rose Hill Gym for their annual "Dig Pink" match to help support the fight against breast cancer. Fordham hosts Saint Louis at 7 p.m., and fans are also encouraged to wear pink for a "Pink Out".
Also, fans are encouraged to participate in the Student/Faculty Volleyball Tournament this Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Information can be found by clicking here.
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