Volleyball on the Road at La Salle, Duquesne this Weekend

La Salle: Watch | Live Stats
Duquesne: Watch | Live Stats
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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham volleyball team (9-13, 2-7 A-10) have left the Bronx once again for its final three road contests of the regular season. This weekend the Rams will play at La Salle (14-9, 6-3 A-10) on Friday night at 7 p.m. and at Duquesne (10-12, 4-5 A-10) on Sunday afternoon 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 Month
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
Fordham fell in both matches last weekend, in four sets to Davidson on Friday and to the reigning A-10 champions, VCU, on Sunday afternoon. The Rams started brightly against the Wildcats in front of nearly 2,000 local schoolchildren during the team's annual Field Trip Day event, tallying 15 kills to three errors for a .324 hit percentage in a 25-20 opening-set victory, but combined to commit 20 errors thereafter in attack, helping Davidson rally with three straight wins. Fordham played the defending champs tough throughout their match, enjoying the third-highest hit percentage by a conference opponent thus far, at .140, and notching the second-most team blocks against VCU in league play and fourth-most overall. The (other) Rams, meanwhile, had their second-lowest offensive efficiency thus far in conference play and the seventh-lowest block total on their season.
 
Kaitlin Morley led the way offensively with a combined 25 kills and Elise Benjamin added another 13 blocks, two solo, to her season-long total.
 
Series Histories
La Salle – Fordham holds a 39-9 all-time series lead over the Explorers since 1984. Most recently, La Salle picked up its first-ever win in the Bronx in 20 tries, defeating the Rams in four sets on September 30. Read the match recap here. Fordham is 19-6 on the road in the series, the most recent victory coming in straight sets a year ago.
 
Duquesne – The Rams fell in a thrilling five-set affair in the Bronx on September 28, giving the Dukes their 36^th victory in the all-time rivalry. Read the match recap here.  Fordham is just 2-18 all-time in Pittsburgh, the most recent win coming in five in 1999.
 
Conference & National Ranks
Individual

• Kaitilin Morley 297 kills (A10: 5^th, NCAA: 83^rd)
• Kaitlin Morley 3.38 kills per set (A10: 5^th, NCAA: 150^th)
• Kaitlin Morley 327.0 points (A10: 4^th, NCAA: 110^th)
• McKenna Lahr 234 kills (A10: 6^th)
• McKenna Lahr 2.72 kills per set (A10: 12^th)
• Morgan Williams 359 digs (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 109^th)
• Morgan Williams 4.27 digs per set (A10: 7^th, NCAA: 141^st)
• Elise Benjamin 1.44 blocks per set (A10: 2^nd)
• Makaela Tanaka 7.19 assists per set (A10: 7^th)
• Sophia Plett 7.13 assists per set (A10: 8^th)

 
Team

• 1,027 kills (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 168^th)
• 966 assists (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 162^nd)
• 1,329 digs (A10: 2^nd, NCAA: 97^th)
• 95 aces (A10: 7^th NCAA: 216^th)
• 192.5 total blocks (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 75^th)
• 2.19 blocks per set (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 108^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. Four 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's final road contest of the regular season comes at Rhode Island on Saturday, November 3^rd, at 6 p.m.