Newport News, Va. – The Atlantic 10 has today announced its 2019 volleyball preseason coaches' poll for the upcoming campaign and Fordham has been predicted to finish ninth. Last year's A-10 Tournament champions, Dayton, received eight first-place votes and a total of 98 points to lead the way among the conference's 10 schools.
Following the Flyers in the poll is two-time defending regular season champion, and the 2017 tournament winners, VCU, with 92 points and two first-place votes. Rounding out the top five are Saint Louis (71), La Salle (63), and George Washington (52). Duquesne, with 51 points, follows with a predicted sixth-place finish, trailed by George Mason (48), Davidson (30), the Rams (28), and Rhode Island (21).
The Rams finished ninth last year in the conference with a 3-11 record during head coach
Ian Choi's first year at the helm. Fordham's seven nonconference victories last fall were tied for the third-most in the league, however, and helped the program complete the campaign with a 10-17 overall record. The seven victories, which included a run five wins in six matches leading up into conference action, were also tied for the second-most by the program in the last six years.
Fordham saw four student-athletes graduate in May, including one starter, but return 85.7% of the team's kills and 51.4% of the team's blocks, plus the team's starting libero and setters. Senior
Kaitlin Morley led the squad with 372 kills a season ago, with 295 digs and 15 aces, while classmate
Morgan Williams paced the defense with 445 digs at a clip of 4.28 per set, the latter setting a new program single-season record. Morley and Williams were the lone Rams to appear in all 108 sets. Junior
McKenna Lahr, who appeared in all but two sets, contributed 279 kills, 263 digs, and a team-high 20 aces.
Senior
Elise Benjamin, limited to 60 sets due to injury, still finished with 81 blocks, second-most on the team, with a team-high eight solo blocks, and a clip of 1.35 per set, second-most in a single campaign in program history and second-highest in the Atlantic 10 a year ago. Splitting setting duties last year were
Makaela Tanaka (589) and
Sophia Plett (408). The team will also see the return of 2016 Rookie of the Year and two-time Second Team All-Conference selection
Olivia Fairchild, who missed last season due to injury and redshirted. Fairchild has totaled 827 kills through just two seasons and her 3.96 career kills per set rate currently ranks first in school history.
The Rams also
welcome five new faces to the program with freshmen
Megan Brzozowski,
Mallory Lipski,
Aria De La Rosa,
Chloe Pejouan, and
Aneliesa Cartledge.
Fordham's
2019 campaign kicks off in Atlanta at the Georgia State tournament on August 30-31. The Rams will play Lamar on the first day at 4 p.m. before taking on Western Carolina (10 a.m.) and the hosts (7 p.m.) on the 31
st. Due to ongoing construction on the Rose Hill Gym, Fordham will have to wait until October 18 for its first home contest, the first of seven straight over the ensuing three weeks. Prior to that date, the Rams will play 17 consecutive contests on the road.
