Newport News, Va. – Fordham volleyball senior captain
Morgan Williams has been named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday afternoon. It is the second time Williams has earned the honor. She helped the Rams to a 2-1 start to the season at this past weekend's Georgia State Invitational and set a new program record in the process.
"It's a well-deserved accolade for our defensive and emotional anchor," Head coach
Ian Choi said, "Her attention to detail in our defensive schemes set the foundation for her success this weekend. Proud of her."
Williams was terrific on defense this weekend, totaling 86 digs for a 6.62 per-set average and making just three errors on 66 serve receptions, good for a clip of .955, while starting all 13 sets. She began with 23 digs over five sets in a win over Lamar in the season opener before tallying 30 over four sets in a win over Western Carolina on Saturday morning. Had the team won the latter in straight sets, she would have broken the three-set record, as well, but she continued her torrid pace with 33 digs against Georgia State in the weekend finale, besting Stephanie Frost's 32 at LIU Brooklyn from 2004 nearly 15 years to do the day. They were also tied for the second-most in a single match in school history, equaling Christine Barkley's five-set mark in 1992. Maria Rodenberg holds the record with 38 in five sets at CCSU in 2013.
Appearing in all but four sets in her entire Fordham career, Williams also passed Rodenberg for third all-time in career digs, with 1,307, against the Panthers. Williams currently holds the school's career digs per set record (3.9) and set the single-season record as a junior (4.28). She has also previously matched the three-set digs record, with 22, on two separate occasions.
Fordham is back in action this weekend at the Radford Tournament, playing both Norfolk State (10 a.m.) and Rider (3 p.m.) this Friday before taking on the hosts on Saturday at 10:45 a.m.
