Volleyball Hosts Davidson Friday in Annual Dig Pink and Field Trip Day Match

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham volleyball team (9-11, 2-5 A-10) returns to the Bronx this weekend for its first two home matches in the month of October after a two-weekend, four-match stretch on the road. The Rams will host Davidson (10-8, 3-4 A-10) on Friday at noon in the team's annual Field Trip Day and Dig Pink event before welcoming defending champion VCU (12-7, 7-0 A-10) to Rose Hill on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ via the links above and there will be live stats for both, as well. International ESPN+ viewers CLICK HERE and select the game or match you want to view. You'll be directed to a specific page for subscriptions.
 
Cancer Awareness Week
New York Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital's Cancer Center, located in Bronxville, is proud to partner with Fordham Athletics this year in the fight against cancer. With the NYP Lawrence Hospital Cancer Center team, patients receive the benefits of personalized care in their own community setting, near home and family, with the support and expertise of a major academic medical center. The Center offers cancer prevention, screening, treatment including access to clinical trials, support, and education.
 
NYP Lawrence Hospital opened its state-of-the-art cancer facility in October 2016 and is dedicated to addressing both the physical and emotional wellbeing of each patient. This unique under-one-roof philosophy affords patients true convenience by offering medical, surgical, and radiation oncology all in one location, and allows for ease of collaboration and communication among physicians. Many of the specialists at NYP Lawrence are members of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork- Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center —one of only three National Cancer Institute-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in New York state.
 
Last Time Out
After snapping a three-match losing skid the Sunday prior at George Washington, the Rams continued on the road for two tough A-10 matches at Dayton and Saint Louis. Fordham started neck-and-neck with the perennial powerhouse Flyers in sets one and two until the hosts went on lengthy runs to take both frames, 25-17, before sprinting out to a big set three victory. Fordham bounced back with a terrific first set at Saint Louis but struggled over the next two as the Billikens took the lead. The visitors again dug deep and led for much of the fourth frame, withstanding a late charge, but could muster just three kills to go with four errors in attack in the fifth set, giving victory to Saint Louis.
 
Series Histories
Davidson – The all-time series with the Wildcats is only four-plus seasons long since they joined the Atlantic 10 in 2014. The Wildcats hold a 4-2 advantage since then with four straight wins bookended by two Fordham wins. The Rams won in five sets at home a year ago. In that match, Olivia LaPorta and Elise Benjamin combined 19 kills, the latter tallying seven blocks, as well, and then-freshman McKenna Lahr tied the program's five-set record with eight aces.
 
VCU – Similarly, since VCU entered the league in 2012, those Rams hold a 5-3 record over Fordham and 6-3 all-time with one four-set Fordham win coming on neutral ground in 1997. Fordham's lone wins over VCU came at home in 2012 and 2015. VCU won in straight sets both home and away last year.
 
Conference & National Ranks
Individual

• Kaitilin Morley 272 kills (A10: 4^th, NCAA: 84^th)
• Kaitlin Morley 3.45 kills per set (A10: 5^th)
• Kaitlin Morley 299.0 points (A10: 4^th, NCAA: 111^th)
• McKenna Lahr 208 kills (A10: 6^th)
• McKenna Lahr 2.93 kills per set (A10: 6^th)
• Morgan Williams 333 digs (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 98^th)
• Morgan Williams 4.22 digs per set (A10: 7^th, NCAA: 147^th)
• Elise Benjamin 1.45 blocks per set (A10: 2^nd)
• Makaela Tanaka 7.54 assists per set (A10: 7^th)
• Sophia Plett 7.34 assists per set (A10: 8^th)

 
Team

• 944 kills (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 144^th)
• 891 assists (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 138^th)
• 1,226 digs (A10: 2^nd, NCAA: 80^th)
• 89 aces (A10: 7^th NCAA: 197^th)
• 160.0 total blocks (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 69^th)
• 2.19 blocks per set (A10: 4^th, NCAA: 112^th)

 
Back-to-Back Defensive Player of the Week Winners
Two Fordham juniors earned their first career Defensive Player of the Week honors and the program's first since 2012. It's also just the third time two different Rams won the accolade during the same season. Three weeks ago it was Elise Benjamin after a torrid stretch at the net and the week prior it was Morgan Williams who has been rock solid at libero for the Rams. Read more about Elise's and Morgan's weeks at the respective links.
 
Preseason Poll
Fordham was selected to repeat its finishes of the past two years and end this upcoming season seventh it was announced in the Atlantic 10's preseason poll voted on by the league's head coaches. The Rams garnered 36 votes. Read more about it.
 
Up Next
Fordham heads back out on the road for its final three road contests of the regular season. The Rams will play at La Salle next Friday night at 7 p.m. and at Duquesne next Sunday at 1 p.m. and at just Rhode Island the following weekend on November 3^rd at 6 p.m. Both of next weekend's matches will be streamed on ESPN+.