JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- For the first time in 735 days, the Fordham women's volleyball team collected back-to-back victories, as the Rams went on the road to defeat Saint Peter's, 3-1, Tuesday night inside the Yanitelli Center. Fordham won the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-23, before being edged out in the third set, 26-24. The Rams then pulled away in the match-clinching fourth set, 25-14. With the victory, Fordham improves to 5-7 on the season, while the Peacocks fall to 1-7 overall.
Freshman
Breanna Jones constructed a solid all-around game en route to collecting her second double-double of the season. She led the Rams with 13 kills, 11 digs and three service aces, which tied a season high, while recording a season-best three total blocks. Fellow classmate
Natalie Martinez narrowly missed a double-double with 13 kills of her own and nine digs. Sophomore
Emily Fronk and senior
Abigail Konovodoff dished out 20 and 18 assists, respectively, while sophomore
Nicole Freeley added a season-high six total blocks and eight kills to tie a career high.
Trailing 2-1 very early in the opening set, a Jones' kill started a 5-0 run, with Jones' service ace providing a 6-2 lead. The Rams continued to lead and eventually went in front by five at 14-9 when Konovodoff found Jones for another kill.
Saint Peter's battled back and closed to within three at 22-19, but kills from Martinez, Freeley and Jones finished off the home team, 25-20, to give Fordham a 1-0 lead.
The Rams trailed once again in the early stages of the second set at 8-6, before they used a 9-2 spurt to take a 15-10 lead. After a kill from freshman
Olivia LaPorta and a service ace from Fronk moved Fordham back in front by four at 20-16, the Peacocks scored four unanswered to tie the set at 20-20.
A kill from senior
Brianna O'Neil and an attack error placed the Rams back in front by two, before Saint Peter's tallied the next three to regain the lead at 23-22. However, Fordham quickly responded and closed the second set out on two attack errors and junior
Kristen Ostach's service ace for the 25-23 victory and a 2-0 lead.
The Rams led 6-5 early in the third set until the Peacocks scored four unanswered to retake the lead at 9-6, before slowly increasing their advantage out to 16-11. Fordham then made a move, as a kill from sophomore
Sarah Skelton started an 8-2 flurry, with Konovodoff's service ace giving the Rams a 19-18 lead.
Saint Peter's answered with the next three points for a two-point lead, but Fordham responded right back when Martinez started a string of four in a row for a 23-21 lead. But the Peacocks climbed to set point with three more points, before Martinez tied the set at 24-24 with a kill. However, it was not enough, as Saint Peter's scored the final two points to take the third set, 26-24, and trim the Rams' lead to 2-1.
The Peacocks jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth set, but Fordham got the ball rolling with an 8-2 run, which featured three kills from Jones and two more from Martinez, that provided a 9-7 lead. The run eventually increased to 11-3 and a 12-8 advantage.
After Saint Peter's cut its deficit to 12-9, Freeley began an 8-1 spurt with a kill to give the Rams a commanding 20-10 lead, as Fordham ended the set on a 13-6 run to clinch it, 25-14, and the match, 3-1.
The Rams return to action Friday, Sept. 18 when they travel to Loretto, Pa. to begin Saint Francis U's Red Flash Classic. Fordham takes on the Red Flash at 7 p.m., before taking on Coppin State and High Point the following day.
