Volleyball Downs George Washington on Senior Day

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Bronx, N.Y. – It wasn't the frenzied atmosphere from Field Trip Day two days ago but Sunday's meeting with George Washington felt like a playoff match with a good crowd on hand to honor the team's lone senior, Kristen Ostach, and the two teams tied for seventh in the league standings with identical records. The Rams looked explosive as they defeated George Washington in four sets, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19, 25-18, with Ostach enjoying a terrific all-around performance.
 
With the win, Fordham improves to 11-17 overall and 4-9 in conference play, while the Colonials fall to 10-18, 3-10.
 
"The team came out ready to earn points and execute at a high level, which was nice to see across the board," head coach Gini Ullery said, "It was great to see Kristen executing high at the net, hitting .500. We got to see more firepower from Kaitlin [Morley], [Breanna] Jones, and [Olivia] Fairchild, which put us in a position to score."
 
Ostach, in front of family and friends, slammed home nine kills to go with four digs, three blocks and three aces, while Fairchild led all players with 18 kills (.178) to go with six digs plus four aces all coming after the second set. Morley enjoyed her first double-double since October 1 with 11 kills and 12 digs, plus three aces of her own. Jones chipped in eight kills and two blocks. Emily Fronk's 44 assists were a season-high and four off her career-high, as Grace Muller, making her second consecutive start at libero, finished with 11 digs and an ace. Fordham, the Atlantic 10's leaders in aces coming into today's match, totaled 13 aces on the day, a season-high.
 
The first two sets were very hotly contested and even throughout. George Washington led, 9-5, early in the first set before the Rams went on a 13-4 run to lead 18-13. That run featured two aces, three Fairchild kills and a Jones kill. The Colonials chipped away and eventually erased their deficit, 23-23. However, Jones followed with a kill and an attack error gave Fordham the first set.
 
A 4-0 run at the end of the second set to give George Washington a 25-22 win was the closest thing to an extended run in the frame as both teams battled. The Colonials, one of the best defensive teams in the conference, tallied seven total blocks in the set alone.
 
Fordham exploded out of the long break with a fine offensive performance, starting with a 7-2 lead which eventually extended to 22-11, and, after George Washington rallied to cut the deficit to five with Fordham holding set point, Fairchild burst through with a timely kill. The Rams hit .360 as a team in the frame, with Fairchild notching six kills and Jones two blocks. The fourth set was similar in that the Rams raced out to a big lead, getting their lead to its largest, nine, at 18-9, and eventually taking a seven-point win after the Colonials again rallied late.
 
The 11 overall wins and four conference wins are the most for Fordham under Gini Ullery since she took over in 2013. Fairchild finishes the match 10 kills shy of third-most in a single season, set by Val Bosticco in 1990. She is also 14 behind Tasha Johnston's mark in 2006 that ranks second. Her 56 aces on the year put her in a tie for ninth-most.
 
Fordham has one regular season match remaining, against Rhode Island in the Bronx next Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.