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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham volleyball picked up its first Atlantic 10 victory of the campaign with a resounding sweep of Rhode Island on Saturday evening, 25-23, 25-21, 25-21. With the win, the Rams improve to 8-12 overall and 1-7 in league action.
"It's good to have some validation." Head coach
Ian Choi said, "I'm really proud that despite the gauntlet of a schedule that we've had in A-10 play, the team competed with a mature mindset. I'm especially proud of the fight in the second set; the team showed mental toughness by staying present throughout the entire set. It was great to celebrate Mo's record-setting performances from earlier this year."
Morgan Williams was honored in a pre-match ceremony commemorating the three single-match records she set last month – overall digs and four-set digs (42 at Dartmouth) and five-set digs (39 at Rhode Island). The senior libero very nearly broke the three-set record tonight but fell just one dig shy, finishing with 22 for a third time in her career, once in each of the last three seasons.
The Rams used two rallies to take the first and second sets. In the first, a slim 19-16 deficit turned into a 25-23 victory as the Rams went on a 4-1 run to tie the match at 20-20 and took the frame after a 23-23 deadlock due to a ball handling error and a
McKenna Lahr kill.
The second set rally by the hosts was much bigger – Rhody led by double digits, 16-6, at one point before Fordham ripped off a 19-5 run to snatch the set. The visitors opened with an 8-1 run and capped that 16-6 run with a double block.
Aria De La Rosa started Fordham's run with a kill which was followed by an attack error, a block be De La Rosa and
Olivia Fairchild, a Lahr kill, and an attack error by Hazel Brown. That prompted a Rhode Island timeout. Out of the break and before a pair of points and blocks by the visitors, De La Rosa blocked a Gabrielle Shilling attempt. The Rams continued to pour on the pressure and eventually knotted the set up at 21-all. They didn't let up, either, piling up five consecutive points to take the frame.
Rhody led early in the third but Fordham coasted to victory after taking the lead for good, 10-9.
Kaitlin Morley and Fairchild each tallied nine kills, with Lahr adding eight and
Joey Landeros chipping in six.
Megan Brzozowski and
Makaela Tanaka combined for 34 assists, the latter notching her fourth double-double of the season with 10 digs, while the former missed out on her eighth by one dig. Morley and Lahr added 15 and 14 digs, respectively, as well.
Elise Benjamin led the way at the net with four blocks.
Fairchild, Benjamin, and Morley each entered the all-time top-10s for career kills, block assists, and digs per set, respectively, up to 1,018, 210, and 2.63. Williams ascended to second with 468 digs this season, now just 14 away from passing Stephanie Frost for most in a single campaign.
The Rams remain at home next weekend to host Duquesne on Friday, November 1, at 7 p.m. and La Salle on Sunday, November 3, at 1 p.m.
