Volleyball at George Washington, George Mason this Weekend

Watch vs. George Washington | Live Stats vs. George Washington
Watch vs. George Mason | Live Stats vs. George Mason
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham volleyball team (8-9, 1-1 A-10) is on the road for its second batch of conference contests this weekend with a back-to-back Friday-Saturday slate at George Washington (6-9, 0-2 A-10) and George Mason (4-11, 0-2 A-10), respectively. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m.
 
You can watch live on the A-10 Digital Network or follow along with live stats at the links above.
 
Last Time Out
The Rams opened up conference play by splitting a pair of home contests, first dropping La Salle in four sets last Friday night but then falling by the same score to Duquesne. The win over the Explorers was the Rams' 38^th all-time, the most against a single opponent in program history. Fordham has never lost to La Salle in the Bronx, owning a 19-0 record. Freshmen Olivia Fairchild and Kaitlin Morley were both able to double-double in both contests. Fairchild racked up a match-high 18 kills and team-high 12 digs on Friday, while Morley tallied 10 and 11. Fellow freshman Elise Benjamin blocked a total of six shots, one of her best defensive performances of the year, adding seven kills at a solid .333 clip, while Fairchild enjoyed the most efficient match of her career, at .500 with just three errors in 30 total attacks.
 
Conversely, the Rams have struggled historically against Duquesne, claiming just four victories in 37 total matches. The loss was the 18^th straight in the series, since Fordham won in five sets at home in 2004. The Rams struggled as a team, hitting just .155, and couldn't stop the Dukes' attack, as the visitors hit at a .303 pace. Fairchild chipped in 12 kills and 12 digs, Morley added 11 kills and 12 digs, and Maddy Walsh added 39 assists to give her 75 on the weekend. Fordham hit .242 in the second set with 14 kills but couldn't get much going in the other three games.
 
National/Conference Rankings
At the national level, the Rams are now the standalone leaders in service aces with 126, one more than Oral Roberts. Fordham's 1.85 aces/set has dropped one spot to 11^th, however, with a slow Sunday against Duquesne. The Rams rank 29^th in total attacks (2,235), 34^th in kills (803), 36^th in assists (748), and 55^th in the country in digs (920). The Rams are second in the A-10 in kills and assists, just four and 15 behind Dayton, respectively. Fordham is also second in digs, just 65 behind Duquesne.
 
On the individual level, two Rams remain in the top 10 of several categories. Walsh's 673 assists remains third-most in Division I, while Fairchild ranks third in aces (37), sixth in kills (272) and points (320.5), and ninth in aces per set (0.54). Fairchild is also 22^nd in total attacks (676). Morley's 24 aces is enough to reach the back-end of the top 30, at 29, and Morgan Williams' 254 digs this year is 74^th overall.
 
Series History vs. George Washington
The Rams are 7-23 all-time against the Colonials since 1995 when Fordham joined the Atlantic 10. George Washington has won the last seven meetings and the last five in our nation's capital. Overall, the Rams are just 3-18 in Washington, D.C. However, Fordham's last two victories over its rival have come on the road
 
Scouting the Colonials
George Washington is 6-9 on the year and dropped its first two league contests, at Dayton and Saint Louis, last weekend to sit joint-bottom with the Patriots. Before that, the Colonials hosted James Madison, Northern Illinois, and Tennessee and fell in all three contests as part of their current five-match skid. George Washington are second in the conference in attack percentage (.225) but are allowing opponents to hit .260 against them, despite tallying 114 total blocks this season. Senior Chidima Osuchukwu is one of the A-10's most featured and efficient attackers, with a team-high 162 kills on 326 total attacks (.353). Skylar Iott and Loren Williams are next up with 138 and 122 kills, respectively. Emily Clemens in the setter and she has 467 assists on the year. Madison Clay paces the squad with 15 aces and 147 digs. Defensively, Osuchukwu's 67 total blocks stands out as one of the better numbers in the league, including her 19 solo swats.
 
Series History vs. George Mason
Since the Patriots joined the A-10 in 2013, they have held a brief 3-2 record over the Rams. George Mason won the lone meeting between the two school's last season in straight sets down in Virginia, and have won all three contests at home against Fordham.
 
Scouting Mason
George Mason enters the weekend with the league's worst overall record (4-11) and, like the Colonials, dropped both contests at Dayton and Saint Louis last weekend. Before that, however, the Patriots enjoyed wins over Hampton and Loyola after a loss to Bryant to open their Mason Invitational. Their other two wins have come over Bucknell and Lafayette at the Valley Forge Sports Penn Invitational three weeks ago.
 
The Patriots are last in the league in attack percentage (.159) and rank in the bottom half in every other category. Mikala Wells is one of four Patriots over the century mark in kills, leading with 141 ahead of Tiffany Clarke (135), Sydney Fanoga (107) and Bailey Williams (103). Clarke's .241 hit percentage stands out. Caitlyn Hipsher and Kelly Schaller have split time setting, with the former leading with 290 helpers and Schaller next with 253. Wells' 14 aces leads all players, while Catie Espinoza has racked up a team-high 407 kills. Williams is a two-way threat with 347 digs and 17 total blocks. Fanoga's 45 blocks, however, is easily a team-high.
 
Up Next
The Rams return home to host two of the top teams in the A-10, Dayton and Saint Louis, next weekend in the Bronx. Next Friday night's match against the Bilikens will be the annual dig pink match. Both contests begin at 5 p.m.