Volleyball Rallies Late but Falls in Five to Duquesne

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Bronx, N.Y. – In a match that saw zero lead changes until a decisive fifth set that had four, it was a back-and-forth affair inside the Rose Hill Gym as Fordham rallied from a set down to force the final frame but Duquesne walked away winners with a late rally of its own. The Dukes secured their first Atlantic 10 victory of the year, improving to 6-9 overall and 1-2 in league action, while the Rams suffered just their second loss in their last eight matches, falling to 8-7 and 1-1, respectively.
 
"Defensively it was an exciting night but it took us until the end of the third set to rediscover our offense and the fourth set showed that." Head coach Ian Choi said after the match, "We're certainly playing at a high level and I'm thankful to experience these situations as they are exceptional opportunities to learn how to stay centered under duress. We'll look to re-sharpen our offense on Sunday. I'm excited for the challenge that a rising La Salle team has to offer."
 
Fordham struggled in attack the opening two frames but kicked things up a notch in the final three frames, while the team's surging defense kept it in the match throughout. For the third straight contest, the defense notched at least 13.0 team blocks, finishing Friday's night with 14 and anchored by junior Elise Benjamin who enjoyed her third straight match with at least seven blocks.
 
The offense combined for 14 kills in the opening two sets but 17 errors in the same timeframe. However, the Rams, despite falling in the third set, committed just five errors to go with 15 kills and were errorless in the fourth set of a dominating 25-10 victory, with 14 kills in 25 attacks (.560). Fordham led early in the fifth set, 6-2, and later, 8-7, as the schools switched sides, but the Dukes rallied to finish the match on an 8-2 run.
 
McKenna Lahr tallied a match-high and career-high 21 kills, her first career 20-kill performance, including seven of the team's first eight points in the fifth set. The sophomore added 16 digs and five blocks, as well. Kaitlin Morley chipped in 18 kills and notched a personal-best 19 digs on the night, while Morgan Williams, the recent new entry to the program's 1,000 dig club, enjoyed her first 30-dig effort, finishing with 33, and moved past Cindy Vojtech into fifth all-time with 1,036 career digs. Joey Landeros and Natalie Martinez combined for 15 kills, as well.
 
Sophia Plett came off the bench for a double-double of 31 assists and 12 digs, plus a solo block, while Makaela Tanaka chipped in 16 assists and eight digs.
 
The Rams also racked up 109 digs, easily besting the previous high of 83 in the second match of the season against Central Connecticut State in four sets.
 
Fordham hosts La Salle on Sunday at 1 p.m. before heading out on the road for two weekends and four road A-10 matches. Sunday's match will be streamed on ESPN+.