Whitley Moody Named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year

League Release
 
Newport News, Va. – It should come as no surprise after being named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week three times in a row out of a possible five weeks, but Fordham volleyball freshman outside hitter Whitley Moody has been named the conference's Rookie of the Year. Moody was also named to the All-Conference First Team and All-Rookie Team, the league announced on Thursday afternoon.
 
"Well-deserved accolade for Whitley," Head coach Ian Choi said, "She continues to embrace the culture and grow in this gym. I'm excited to keep working with her for the next three years."
 
Although she missed this past weekend's match, Moody made seven consecutive starts prior to that, starting all 30 sets she was available for. The San Jose, Calif. native finished the regular season with 4.17 points per set, ranked 42^nd in the country and third in the Atlantic 10, 4.80 points per set, ranked 33^rd and third, respectively, and 33^rd and second, respectively, with 11.6 attacks per set. She led the Rams with 125 kills and a .264 attack percentage, adding 22 blocks, 0.73 per set, 82 digs, 2.70 per set, and eight aces.
 
Moody is the second Rookie of the Year in program history following Olivia Fairchild in 2016. She is the fifth Ram to ever earn First Team All-Conference accolades and first since 2005, and is the 10^th Ram to be placed on the All-Rookie team, joining current teammates Megan Brzozowski and Aria De La Rosa.
 
Moody and the Rams finished the regular season with a 5-3 conference record, 5-4 overall, to earn a berth in this weekend's Atlantic 10 Championship, hosted by Dayton, the program's first appearance since 2010. Fordham will take on the top-seeded Flyers on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.