LORETTO, Pa. -- The Fordham women's volleyball team dropped both of its matches Saturday at Saint Francis U's Red Flash Classic. The Rams opened the day by falling in four sets to Coppin State (15-25, 21-25, 25-16, 22-25), before being swept by High Point (23-25, 16-25, 17-25). The losses drop Fordham to 6-9 on the season.
Fordham vs. Coppin StateSenior
Brianna O'Neil and freshman
Breanna Jones each had 13 kills, while sophomore
Emily Fronk tallied over 40 assists for the second match in a row with 45 to go along with eight digs. Freshman
Olivia LaPorta added 10 kills, and senior
Brennan Delsing tied her career high in digs with 22, which occurred Friday night.
The Rams started the first set with a 4-2 lead, but the Eagles came back and tallied five of the next six points to take an 8-6 advantage. Still trailing at 13-11, Fordham saw Coppin State pull away five unanswered and six of seven to increase its lead to 19-12, before cruising to the 25-15 victory for a 1-0 lead.
Five ties took place over the first 10 points of the second set and two kills from Jones eventually gave the Rams an 8-7 lead. But once again, the Eagles tallied five in a row and six of seven to retake the lead at 13-9.
Back-to-back kills from LaPorta and O'Neil started a string of four unanswered for Fordham, which tied the set at 13-13. After trailing 16-14, the Rams used another 4-0 spurt to recapture the lead at 18-16, only to see Coppin State come back again to regain the advantage at 19-18.
The two sides traded points over the next six, which eventually would be a 22-21 Eagle lead, as they scored the final four points to take the second set, 25-21, and a 2-0 lead.
With the third set tied at 5-5, Fordham scored the next five to start a 10-2 run, as a kill from O'Neil capped the run with a kill to produce a 15-7 lead. The Rams then put the set away with a 6-0 run, which extended their advantage to 22-10, before they cruised to the 25-16 victory while slicing their deficit to 2-1.
The fourth set began well for Fordham, who led 8-4 early on. But the lead was short-lived because Coppin State roared back to take the lead at 9-8, before its 8-1 run made it 12-9. However, LaPorta's killed started a 5-0 spurt that moved the Rams back in front, 14-12.
The set featured eight more ties down the stretch, with the last time coming at 21-21 when the Eagles tied it. They would score the next four and five of the final six to clinch the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-1.
Fordham vs. High PointJones and Martinez each had eight kills to lead Fordham. Martinez also had a team-best 13 digs, while Jones added eight. Fronk dished out 28 assists and collected eight digs, and O'Neil chipped in seven kills.
The Rams led 4-3 early on in the first set, but the Panthers came back to take a 7-5 lead. Fordham responded by scoring three unanswered, which included a kill from Jones and a service ace from Fronk, to grab the lead right back at 8-7. The flurry started a 9-4 run for the Rams, who eventually moved ahead by three at 14-11.
After High Point battled back to tie the set at 15-15, Fordham tallied three in a row again, as a LaPorta kill gave the Rams an 18-15 lead. But once again, the Panthers came right back and tied it at 18-18.
The two sides traded the next 10 points, which produced a deadlock set at 23-23. The Panthers, who trailed 23-22, scored the final three points to take the set, 25-23, and a 1-0 lead.
The Rams jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set after back-to-back kills from sophomore
Nicole Freeley and Martinez, before High Point tallied five of the next six to take its first lead at 6-5.
Fordham responded by scoring four of the next five, as an ace from Delsing moved the Rams back in front, 9-7. However, the Panthers used a 9-2 run to retake the lead at 16-11 and force Fordham into a timeout.
A kill from O'Neil brought the Rams to within three at 17-14, but it was the closest they would come because High Point ended the set on an 8-2 spurt to take the second set, 25-16, for a 2-0 lead.
Fordham scored the first two points of the third set en route to taking a 6-3 lead at the start, before the Panthers once again rallied to take their second lead of the set at 8-7.
With the score tied at 9-9, High Point scored four straight and eight of the next 11 to go in front by five, 17-12. The Rams got as close as 18-14, but it was not enough, as the Panthers closed out the set on a 7-3 run to clinch it, 25-17, and match, 3-0.
O'Neil was named to the All-Tournament Team after the conclusion of the tournament.
Up NextFordham returns to action Tuesday, Sept. 22 when it welcomes Stony Brook inside the Rose Hill Gym for a 7 p.m. contest.
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