Women's Volleyball Rallies Past Georgetown to Earn Split

BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham women's volleyball team finished 1-1 in first-day action of the 14th Annual Rose Hill Classic Friday inside the Rose Hill Gym. The Rams dropped their first match to Niagara, 3-1, before rallying in five sets to down Georgetown, 3-2. With the split, Fordham moves to 2-4 on the season.

Match One vs. Niagara
Things started off well for the Rams in their first match of the day against the Purple Eagles after taking the opening set, 25-22, before dropping the final three sets by scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-23. Freshman Natalie Martinez produced a season-high 14 kills, while sophomore Emily Fronk dished out a career-high 29 assists and narrowly missed a double-double with eight digs. Sophomore Clarissa Cartledge manufactured a team-high 14 digs, and junior Kristen Ostach recorded a career-best six blocks.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair over the first 20 points, which saw 10 ties. With the scored deadlocked at 10-10, a kill from senior Brennan Delsing started a string of four unanswered points that gave Fordham the lead for good at 14-10.

After Niagara trimmed the Ram lead to one for a third time, a pair of kills from senior Brianna O'Neil sandwhiched between a kill from freshman Breanna Jones increased the advantage to 19-15.

But the visitors were not finished and fought back to cut the Fordham lead back to one at 22-21. However, the Rams were able to squeak out the 25-22 victory.

Niagara jumped Fordham very early in the second set with the first six points, before the Rams countered just as quickly with seven unanswered, as a kill from Martinez produced a 7-6 lead.

With Fordham leading 9-8, the Purple Eagles rattled off five straight and captured the lead for good at 13-9 and outscored the Rams, 12-8, the rest of the way to clinch the second set, 25-17, and tie the match at 1-1.

Fordham navigated to a 5-2 advantage to start the third set and held off multiple Niagara threats to tie the stanza. The Rams then stretched their lead out to five at 15-10 with back-to-back kills from Martinez and Jones. However, the Purple Eagles slowly crawled back into the set by using an 8-3 spurt to tie the contest at 18-18.

Fordham temporarily recovered by scoring three of the next four points to regain a two-point advantage at 21-19, before Niagara tied the set back at 21-21.

The Rams then took the lead one more time at 22-21, but the Purple Eagles tallied the final three points to take the third set, 25-22, and a 2-1 lead in the match.

The fourth and final set saw Fordham trail 8-2 at the start, before the Rams fought back to cut the deficit to 9-6 on a Martinez kill. The Rams would then stay within five points until Niagara inched its lead out to six at 21-15.

Facing its largest deficit, Fordham made a move, as Martinez started a 6-1 flurry with a kill, which brought the Rams back within one at 22-21. After the Purple Eagles scored the next two points, Fordham answered with pair of its own to find itself down one again at 24-23. But Niagara scored the final point and claimed the fourth set, 25-23, and the match, 4-1.

Match Two vs. Georgetown
The contest between the Rams and the Hoyas was the most entertaining one of the day at the Rose Hill Classic. Fordham claimed the first set rather easily, 25-17, but dug itself into a 2-1 hole after falling in sets two and three by scores of 25-18 and 25-13. But the Rams regrouped and rallied to take the fourth set, 25-21, and the fifth and final set, 15-13.

Fronk trumped her previous career high in assists from the match earlier in the day to hand out 36 while collecting her second double-double of the season and her career with 13 digs to go along with two service aces, also a new career high. Jones barely missed a double-double after recording a season-high 18 kills and nine digs. Cartledge added a team-best 15 digs, and sophomore Sarah Skelton manufactured a solid match with a career-high 13 digs and eight kills.

Fordham led wire-to-wire in the first set and scored the first three points, with two coming from a Jones' kill and a service ace from Fronk. Georgetown cut the lead to one three different times, with the last time coming at 9-8, before the Rams rattled off five unanswered to increase their advantage to 13-8.

The run eventually became a 9-1 spurt, as Fordham took a comfortable lead of 17-9. The Hoyas never threatened, and the Rams cruised to the 25-17 victory.

Georgetown led early in the second set and captured a three-point lead until Fordham scored three in a row and knotted the contest at 6-6 after a kill from Jones. The set went back and forth with four more ties, before the Hoyas broke away from a 14-14 score with three in a row of their own for a 17-14 advantage, which started a set-ending 11-4 run that gave the visitors a 25-17 victory and a 1-1 tie in the match.

In the third set, Georgetown led the entire way after starting out by scoring six of the first eight points. The Rams trimmed the deficit to three twice, but could not get any closer. Trailing 7-4, Fordham saw the Hoyas go on an 11-4 flurry to produce an 18-8 lead, before comfortably taking the third set, 25-13, to move in front 2-1 in the match.

The Rams were outscored 7-4 to start the fourth set, before a kill from Delsing triggered a 7-0 run, which was capped by a kill from Ostach that produced an 11-7 lead. Georgetown, however, slowly came back and tied the set at 14-14.

With the set tied at 15-15, Fordham took the lead for good with two straight points from an attack error and a kill by Skelton. The Hoyas crept back to within one two more times, but the Rams maintained the lead and ended the set on a Jones' kill for a 25-21 victory and a 2-2 tie in the match.

The visitors struck first in the final set with a 2-0 lead, before back-to-back kills from Jones and two attack errors moved Fordham in front for good at 4-2. Georgetown cut the Ram lead to one eight more times, but the Rams answered the bell every occasion. Fordham led 14-11 and had to sweat out to points from the Hoyas until Jones' 18th kill ended the set, 15-13, and the match, 4-3.

Up Next
The Rams conclude the Rose Hill Classic at 1 p.m. Saturday when they take on Robert Morris, who defeated both Georgetown and Niagara Friday.