Volleyball Hosts Dayton, Saint Louis on Back-to-Back Nights this Weekend

Watch vs. Dayton | Live Stats
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham volleyball team (10-7, 2-2 A-10) remains in the Bronx for two more Atlantic 10 contests this weekend, on back-to-back days, looking to carry its momentum from last week's two wins into match-ups with three-time defending champion Dayton (11-6, 3-0) and Saint Louis (5-11, 2-1). The Rams will host the Flyers on Friday night and the Bilikens on Saturday night, with both contests set to begin at 7 p.m.
 
Only Friday's contest will be streamed live on the A-10 Digital Network, but both matches will have live stats at the link above.
 
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
The Fordham volleyball program has partnered with the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Research and Colleges vs. Cancer for Sunday, October 22^nd's match against Davidson, the team's annual breast cancer awareness match. The program has set a goal of $2,000. Every home match leading up to that day (this weekend's matches and VCU on October 20^th), there will be a marketing table set up for fans to make bids on a silent auction and purchase raffle tickets with some great prizes announced. For more information and, most importantly, a link to donate, click here.
 
Last Time Out
The Rams had struggled to finish its long eight-match road stretch, with three straight losses, but a return to the Bronx must have been exactly what was needed as Fordham hosted and defeated George Mason and George Washington in seven combined sets last weekend. In the sweep over the Patriots, the Rams hit .266 as a team and served up 11 aces. Sophomore Kaitlin Morley led the way with 16 kills at an uber-efficient .435 clip and freshman McKenna Lahr double-doubled with 11 kills and 15 digs. However, Sunday's match with the Colonials provided some real fireworks. Olivia Fairchild broke the school record for four-set aces and matched the overall single-game tally with eight aces, six coming in the second set alone, while four others contributed a total of 10 aces to match the school single-game record and the four-set record of 18. Aside from the baseline prolificacy, the Rams tallied 53 kills at a .250 clip, led by Lahr's career-high 19 (.324). The freshman also set a new personal-best with five aces and three blocks and added eight digs for good measure. Morley chipped in with another double-double, with 15 kills and 13 digs, while Maddy Walsh posted a season-best 47 assists. Fairchild tallied just seven kills but led the squad with 15 digs. For their weekend performances, Morley and Lahr were named the Atlantic 10's Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively.
 
Morley, Lahr Earn Atlantic 10 Hardware
The honor is the first of Morley's career and second of Lahr's season, thus far. To read more, click here.
 
Series Histories
The all-time series with Dayton, dating back to Fordham's entry into the league in 1995, has been almost completely one-sided. The Flyers have long been a power in the conference and, at times, the country, and hold a 35-1 all-time advantage. Fordham's lone win came in a tightly-contested five-set battle in the Bronx in 1997. The Flyers have since won 30 straight contests, including the lone meeting last year, also at home, in straight sets. The Rams haven't taken a set off the Flyers since 2013.
 
Dating back to the series' beginning in 2005, the Bilikens have enjoyed nearly identical success to the Flyers. Saint Louis hold an all-time 17-1 advantage, including seven straight since the Rams' lone win on the road, in five sets, in 2011. Last year, Fordham hosted Saint Louis in the pair's lone meeting, and the Bilikens walked away four-set winners.
 
Acing the Test
As mentioned above, the team enjoyed a day for the ages along the baseline on Sunday afternoon against George Washington. Olivia Fairchild broke what had previously been a five-way tie for most aces in four sets and matched the overall single-match mark, with eight. Her teammates were up to the task, as well, tallying 18 total on the day to match the all-time tally. Click here to view the record book.
 
Aces in the Hole
Unsurprisingly, the Rams have moved up to the number one spot in all of Division I wit 2.36 aces per set and up to second overall with 139 total aces, behind just UMES' absurd tally of 158. Fairchild's recent hot stretch, with 26 aces over her last six matches, has seen her rise all the way up to second in the nation with 39 total. She trails only Claire Archibald at nearby Iona, who has 41. Lahr missed a couple matches but has still maintained her early-season pace from the baseline, and ranks 40^th with 26 aces. On top of that, the duo rank second and third in the country, respectively, with 0.66 and 0.63 aces per set. Fairchild is just 13 aces away from entering the all-time top-10.
 
Atlantic 10 Ranks
The Rams are one of five teams hitting over .200 on the season, with Friday's opponent, Dayton, leading the charge with a .231 clip. Saint Louis ranks seventh, at .171. Fordham is also fifth in kills per set (12.32) just .05 behind Saint Louis, although the Flyers are, again, tops with 13.43 per set. No surprise, the Rams lead the conference in aces per set, but the 2.36 mark is far ahead of VCU's 1.81 second-best clip.
 
Individually, the Rams have several representatives among the league's stat leaders. Fairchild's .288 hit percentage and LaPorta's .259 mark rank eighth and 10^th, respectively. The former is third in the league with 3.51 kills per set, while Morley's 3.06 kills per frame rank ninth. Dayton holds the top spots in both stats, with Amber Erhahon's .437 attack percentage reigning supreme and Lauren Bruns' 3.64 kills per set tops. Maddy Walsh's 7.36 assists per set ranks sixth overall, just ahead of Saint Louis' Camilla Rivas (7.18), but far behind Dayton's three-time reigning Setter of the Year Jane Emmenecker. Fairchild's 0.66 aces per set is not tops, as Saint Louis' Sien Gallop tops the charts with 0.72 per set, matching Fairchild's 39 aces but in five fewer games. Morgan Williams' 4.14 digs per set ranks sixth overall, ahead of the Bilikens' Mackenzie Long's 3.36 mark, but, again behind Dayton. Margo Wolf, the reigning Libero of the Year, digs at a 4.62 per set clip.
 
Williams Digs Into History
Despite a loss to Cleveland State, sophomore libero Williams tied a program record with 22 digs in just three sets during Fordham's home opener. Williams' personal best is 26, set at New Orleans on opening day earlier this year. The talented sophomore's 4.14 digs per set average would become the new single-season record, as the second player to ever average more than four per set. The current mark is Jenn Shea's 4.10, set in 1994. She's also on pace to tally a top-three total digs number, as well.
 
Where They Stand
With Williams looking to set at least one single-season record this year, several others are on pace to enter top-10s, as well. Fairchild's .288 hit percentage would match Lindsay Ritchie's 2013 mark for seventh all-time, while junior Olivia LaPorta isn't far off the mark with a .259 clip. Fairchild's current 3.51 kills per set average, while far below her freshman year record-setting mark of 4.30, would rank fifth all-time. For Fairchild and Lahr, their aforementioned aces per set averages would rank second and fifth all-time, respectively.
 
Up Next
The Rams are back on the road next weekend, traveling to La Salle on October 13^th at 7 p.m. and then Duquesne next Sunday for a 1 p.m. clash. Fordham will return home the following two weekends for its final three home matches of the regular season.