Kingston, R.I. – The Fordham volleyball team began Atlantic 10 play with a tough five-set defeat at Rhode Island on Saturday evening. The Rams held a two set to one lead heading to the fourth but the hosts rallied, eventually taking the match in a tense 20-18 final frame. With the loss, the Rams fall to 7-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while their counterparts improve to 6-7 and 1-0, respectively.
Despite the loss, senior libero
Morgan Williams broke yet another school record, her 40 digs surpassing Maria Rodenberg's 38 in 2013. The 40 digs are also the second-most all-time in program history behind Williams' own 42 from two weeks ago at Dartmouth.
Rhode Island used eight straight points in set one to take a 16-11 lead and held its advantage until a late rally by Fordham tied things up at 22-all, capped by a block by
Aria De La Rosa and
Olivia Fairchild, and the team went ahead through a
McKenna Lahr kill. The hosts put together a quick rally to hold set point but a service error and a
Bella Ureña kill swapped the set point in favor of the visitors. Rhode Island would snatch the set, though, with three straight points, 27-25, a score Fordham reversed in the second.
Fordham never trailed in the second set although Rhode Island tied things up several times. An
Elise Benjamin kill gave the Rams set point, 24-22, and they held two more through kills by Ureña and
Joey Landeros. After the latter, a block from De La Rosa and Lahr secured the set and evened the match.
After taking the lead, 9-8, through a Lahr kill, the Rams coasted to a 25-20 win in the third frame. The hosts used a big rally midway through the fourth to even the match again and the fifth set was tense from the start, with no lead larger than one from 9-8 on. A timely Lahr kill staved off the first set point and a block by De La Rosa and Ureña erased the second. Fordham's turn came with a kill from De La Rosa, 16-15, but a service error by
Aneliesa Cartledge gave the hosts serve back. De La Rosa and Landeros combined again to block Claire Wagner's effort but Rhody took two straight points thereafter. Ureña evened the set with a kill but a Claire Chaplinsky kill and an Ella Ratzloff ace stole the match.
Offensively, Lahr led the way with a season-high 20 kills at a .263 clip. The junior added 17 digs, three blocks, and an ace, as well. De La Rosa and Benjamin each recorded 10 kills, the former hitting .391 for the match. That duo added eight and six blocks, respectively. Both Ureña and Fairchild chippe din nine kills.
Megan Brzozowski and
Makaela Tanaka each tallied double-doubles: the former with 36 assists and 14 digs, the latter with 18 assists and 15 digs. Williams added six assists with her 40 digs.
The team's 64 kills are a new season-high, as are their 106 digs, 60 assists, and 15.5 total blocks, as were their 30 attack errors and 222 total attacks.
Fordham is back in action next weekend with trips to Saint Louis, on Friday, October 4, at 8 p.m., and at Dayton on Sunday, October 6, at 12 p.m.
