Volleyball at George Mason and George Washington this Weekend

George Mason: Watch | Live Stats
George Washington: Watch | Live Stats
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham volleyball team (8-8, 1-2 A-10) seeks to snap its two-match losing stretch this weekend on the road with 7 p.m. matches at George Mason (4-9, 2-1 A-10) and George Washington (7-7, 1-2 A-10) on back-to-back nights, Friday and Saturday.
 
Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+. 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.
 
Last Time Out
Fordham suffered its first back-to-back losses since all the way back on August 31 when it fell to Duquesne in five last Friday and La Salle in four on Sunday. The Rams rallied from a set down and two sets to one down against the Dukes, including a dominant 25-10 fourth set, but allowed the visitors to rally late in the fifth to steal the match. The Rams led, 6-2, early in the decisive frame and, 8-7, when the teams switched sides, but the Dukes finished on an 8-2 run. Interestingly, there were no lead changes before that fifth set; whichever team scored the first point of a set ended up winning it, until a fifth frame that saw four lead changes. McKenna Lahr and Kaitlin Morley combined for 39 kills and each set a new career-high. Lahr tallied a match-high and personal-best 21 kills, her first 20-kill performance, including seven of the team's first eight points in the fifth set, while addking 16 digs and five blocks. Morley chipped in 18 kills and a personal-high 19 digs. Junior libero Morgan Williams enjoyed her first-ever 30-dig match, finishing with 33, while moving past Cindy Vojtech ('99) for fifth on the all-time digs list. As a team, the Rams tallied 109 digs, a new season-high, by far, over the 83 against CCSU in the second match of the season.
 
Despite a combined 45 kills from Lahr, Morley, and Olivia LaPorta on Sunday, the Rams fell to the Explorers due to miscues in attack and on serve, with 18 and 13, respectively. Morley was on fire to start the match, with seven kills and 12 digs in the opening frame, but La Salle withstood the Rams' charge and won the set. Fordham fought back with a 25-16 third-set victory but fell in four. Morley finished with her second career 20-kill effort, adding 15 digs and an ace. Lahr added 14 kills and 12 digs, and LaPorta notched her first double-digit kill performance of the y ear, with 10. Williams added 21 digs. For the second match in a row, Sophia Plett came off the bench to lead the team in assists, totaling 59 over the two matches. Sunday was also the first time La Salle had ever won in the Bronx in 20 attempts.   
 
Series Histories
George Mason – The all-time series with the Patriots is tied, 4-4, dating back to when they entered the Atlantic 10 in 2013. The Rams are just 1-3 in Fairfax but took the last road match in four sets in 2016. The two schools met just once last year, with Fordham sweeping the Patriots.
 
George Washington – The Colonials lead the all-time series, 32-10, since 1995 when Fordham joined the A-10. Aside from a home sweep in 1997, George Washington won the first 17 matches in the series, up through 2003, before the Rams swept both matches in 2004. Since, it's been mostly the Colonials but Fordham currently rides a three-match win streak in the rivalry, including a home & away sweep in 2016 and a four-set victory in the Rose Hill Gym a year ago.
 
Conference & National Ranks
Individual

• Kaitilin Morley 220 kills (A10: 4^th, NCAA: 82^nd)
• Kaitlin Morley 3.38 kills per set (A10: 5^th, NCAA: N/A)
• Kaitlin Morley 243.5 points (A10: 4^th, NCAA: 101^st)
• Morgan Williams 284 digs (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 68^th)
• Morgan Williams 4.44 digs per set (A10: 4^th, NCAA: 109^th)
• Elise Benjamin 1.41 blocks per set (A10: 2^nd, NCAA: N/A)
• Makaela Tanaka 369 assists (A10: 8^th)
• Makaela Tanaka 7.69 assists per set (A10: 7^th)
• Sophia Plett 7.03 assists per set (A10: 8^th)

 
Team

• 140.0 total blocks (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 73^rd)
• 78 aces (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 148^th)
• 722 assists (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 130^th)
• 162 kills (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 162^nd)
• 766 digs (A10: 3^rd, NCAA: 136^th)
• 2.15 blocks per set (A10: 4^th, NCAA: 116^th)

 
Back-to-Back Defensive Player of the Week Winners
The last two weeks have seen two juniors earn their first 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. Last week 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 Fordham. 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
The Rams remain on the road for two more contests next weekend, at Dayton and at Saint Louis, set for Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, respectively. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.