Volleyball Kicks Off Homestand with Sweep of George Mason

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Bronx, N.Y. – After three weeks and eight matches on the road, the Fordham volleyball team returned to the Bronx with a bang, sweeping visiting George Mason on Friday night for its first Atlantic 10 victory of the season. With the win, the Rams improve to 9-7 overall and 1-2 in league play, while the Patriots fall to 5-11 and 1-2.
 
"It was great being back in our home gym in front of a great crowd! The team came out and executed at a high level," Head coach Gini Ullery-Shrift said after the match, "It was great to see us in system, which allowed our offense to be very successful. Tonight gave us momentum heading into Sunday's match with George Washington. I'm also very excited for our free clinic, open to all ages, in the Lombardi Fieldhouse at the conclusion of that match!"
 
Sophomore Kaitlin Morley continued her scorching form with a career-high 16 kills on 23 attacks (.435), adding six digs, while freshman McKenna Lahr broke out with 11 kills and 15 digs. Fordham served up a total of 11 aces, led by senior Molly Oshinski and sophomore Olivia Fairchild, each with three, the former matching her personal-best output. The Rams were tenacious at the net, as well, with six team blocks, led by junior Maddy Walsh's four blocks, to go with her match-high 33 assists, and three each from senior Nicole Freeley and junior Olivia LaPorta.
 
The Patriots led up until the halfway mark of the opening set as Fordham slowly chipped away at the visitors' slim advantage, eventually taking a lead and coast to a 25-16 opening frame. Morley and Lahr each led with five kills, with Fairchild adding four, as the group served up four aces, as well. The Rams carried that momentum into sets two and three, never trailing after the opening points, holding the Patriots to one fewer point in each set.
 
Walsh did a little of everything in the match, tallying three kills, five digs, and four blocks to go with her 33 assists. Fairchild failed to reach double-digit kills for the third match in a row, the first time it's happened in consecutive matches in her career. She still ended up with nine kills (.318), five digs, one block, and a team-high four aces. The sophomore has 31 on the year now and continues to stay near the top of the Division I leaderboards; she was 17^th in the country heading into the match. Sophomore Elise Benjamin also made her return to action after missing time due to injury, playing just a few points in the final set.
 
Fordham hosts George Washington on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. The match will not be streamed on the A-10 Digital Network. A free clinic will be held by the program following the conclusion of the match in the Lombard Fieldhouse and is open to all ages.