Volleyball Begins 2018 Campaign at Jack Kaiser Classic

Season Preview | Watch the St. John's match
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The 2018 season begins Friday morning against Eastern Michigan for the Fordham volleyball program, the first match of the Jack Kaiser Classic, hosted by local rival St. John's. The Rams will play the Eagles at 11 a.m. on Friday before facing the hosts and Central Connecticut State in a doubleheader on Saturday.
 
Only the match against St. John's Saturday morning will be streamed live via the link above.
 
Season Review/Preview
The Fordham volleyball team finished its season in seventh place for a second consecutive year, missing out on a spot in the postseason by one spot. The Rams started the season brightly, winning their first four matches, including a sweep at the University of New Orleans tournament. Fordham won seven of its first eight matches en route to the program's best-ever start to nonconference play. The Rams finished the season with a 12-15 record and 4-10 in conference action, the most league victories since 2012. Olivia Fairchild was named Second Team All-Conference for a second consecutive campaign, while McKenna Lahr earned All-Rookie honors. Several single-match records fell a year ago, including two separate matches in which a player tallied eight aces. Fairchild's eight aces against George Washington (10/1) set the record for four-set matches, with her teammates combining for 10 others to set the team record in the same match, while Lahr's eight aces against Davidson (10/22) tied the five-set match record. Morgan Williams' 22 digs against Cleveland State (9/1) tied the three-set match record held by Stephanie Frost (9/9/06).
 
The Rams return five starters from last year's squad and several key reserves for the upcoming campaign, the first under new head coach Ian Choi, who was promoted from assistant coach a year ago. Fordham is led on offense by junior Olivia Fairchild, who finished her sophomore season with 350 kills, 63 aces, 226 digs, and 47 blocks. The Phoenix native's 63 aces, 0.64 aces per set, and 3.57 kills per set ranked sixth, joint-second, and fourth, respectively, in a single season. Fairchild was also the Atlantic 10's leader in kills per set. The trio of McKenna Lahr, Kaitlin Morley, and Olivia LaPorta all notched over 100 kills, as well, with Morley's 2.92 per set average and LaPorta's .254 attack percentage leading the way. Lahr and Morley contributed 39 and 20 aces, respectively, as well, while LaPorta led the squad with 59 total blocks. Junior Morgan Williams was one of two players, along with Fairchild, to appear in all 98 sets on the year, and led the team with 398 digs and 4.06 per set, the latter mark ranking second in a single season in school history and the former ranking eighth. Maddy Walsh was the squad's main setter last year, assisting on 721 points or 8.01 per set, while adding 11 aces and 126 digs. Sophia Plett added 202 assists of her own at a clip of 4.93 per set. The two combined for 923 assists at a rate of 9.42 per set. The team's 192 aces led the Atlantic 10.
 
The Rams welcome four freshmen to the squad, as well, in middle blockers Bella Ureña and Claire O'Neil, outside hitter Joey Landeros, and setter Makaela Tanaka. Senior Maddy Walsh and junior Kaitlin Morley were named team captains for the 2018 season.
 
Season Openers
The Rams are 3-2 over the last five seasons, including a four-set victory over Southeast Missouri State a year ago, in season openers and 14-14 since 1990.  In last year's opener, Fairchild led the way with a match-high 18 kills (.571 percentage) and six aces, Maddy Walsh assisted on 27 points, and Lahr began her Fordham career with nine kills, seven digs, four aces, and two solo blocks.
 
Scouting Eastern Michigan
The Eagles were predicted to finish fourth in the MAC West Division in the league's preseason poll and senior outside hitter Jordan Smith, a year removed from totaling 373 kills, was named to the preseason All-Conference team. Eastern Michigan return five starters and four key reserves. Junior Cassie Haut, an All-Rookie selection, returned from injury last year to total 318 kills and 98 blocks. Eastern's defense is anchored by senior libero Alyssa LaFace, who averaged 5.12 digs per set and totaled 486 digs as a junior. The Eagles set team records for team blocks (320) and blocks per set (2.46) while leading the conference in both categories.
 
Scouting St. John's
The Red Storm are predicted to finish sixth in the Big East and return four starters, including Erica Di Maulo, a two-time Big East First Team honoree. The Italian setter was named to the preseason All-Conference squad and ranks fifth in program history with 2,415 assists. St. John's lost ECAC Offensive Player of the Year Julia Cast to graduation.
 
Scouting Central Connecticut State
The Blue Devils have been predicted to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference's preseason poll, garnering one first-place vote, after earning a share of last season's regular season championship and reaching last year's tournament final. CCSU is coached by Linda Sagnelli in her 19^th year at the helm. Sagnelli was named last year's NEC and ECAC Coach of the Year. Juniors Madelyn Kaprelyan and Morgan Woycik each earned Second Team All-Conference honors a year ago.
 
Preseason Poll
Fordham has been 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 will host Marist, Charlotte, and Bryant next weekend for the 12^th annual Rose Hill Classic between August 31 and September 1.