Volleyball at Rhode Island Wednesday, Hosts VCU Twice this Weekend

Schedule Page
 
Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham volleyball (6-9, 0-4) embarks on a three-match week again both other A-10 schools with a Ram mascot, first traveling to Rhode Island (4-13, 0-4) on Wednesday evening, with a 5 p.m. start time, and then hosting VCU (8-8, 3-1) for two matches on Friday and Saturday, at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
 
All relevant links to follow along with the action this week can be found via the schedule page above.
 
Ramses Challenge
Join the Ramses Challenge, a new philanthropic initiative supporting our student-athletes! Pledge a set amount of money for each set won by Fordham volleyball this year, or make a one-time gift to the program. All proceeds are tax-deductible and go directly to Fordham volleyball. The Rams won 46 sets last year and are up to 25 so far through 15 matches!
 
Coffee with Coach Choi
Head coach Ian Choi will sit down with players and staff throughout the year to discuss a variety of topics, mostly Fordham volleyball, over coffee. Check out the first episode, featuring the team's co-captains, Mallory Lipski and Lauren Arzuaga, here! Plus quick updates with Aria, Mackenzie, and Audrey!
 
Last Time Out
The Rams fell twice to new Atlantic 10 foe Loyola Chicago in the Windy City. Whitley Moody led the way with 19 kills (3.17 per set), adding 2.83 digs per set, while Mallory Lipski went off for 36 total digs, averaging 6.0 per frame, while setting the school's three-set record in the second match with 25 digs. Chloe Pejouan averaged a block per set and hit a team-high .421, as well, with nine kills.
 
Series Histories
Rhode Island – The (other) Rams leads the all-time series, 34-11, since Fordham entered the Atlantic 10 in 1995. After a stretch of dominance by its foe, Fordham has won four of the past nine contests dating back to 2018. Last year, the two schools split the meetings, a home sweep in the Bronx and a four-set loss in Kingston.
 
VCU – Fordham is 4-11 all-time since 1997, when it won in four sets on neutral ground, before VCU joined the league in 2012. The (Bronx) Rams won their first match over their rivals since 2015 with a four-set victory in last year's A-10 Championship semifinal.
 
National and A-10 Ranks
The Rams rank within the top-three in the A-10 in attacks per set (2^nd – 36.07), digs per set (2^nd – 14.75), and aces per set (3^rd – 1.54), and are fifth with 2.14 blocks per set, 12.14 kills per set, and a .200 hit percentage. The attack rate continues to rise nationally, currently 48^th.
 
At the individual level, Whitley Moody leads the conference in total points (231.5) and is second in points per set (4.13), kills (199), and kills per set (3.55). She is also ninth with 0.34 aces per set. Nationally, Moody is 30^th in attacks per set (11.18) and 46^th in total attacks (626). The other numbers are within the top-120. Megan Brzozowski is third in the league with 8.16 assists per set, while Chloe Pejouan is fourth with 1.18 blocks per set, ranked 75^th in the country, and Mallory Lipski is fourth with 4.27 digs per set, ranked 90^th nationally. Zoe Talabong is also eighth with 0.38 aces per frame.
 
Audrey Brown Named A-10 Rookie of the Week Again
The freshman outside hitter became the fifth Ram to earn multiple Rookie of the Week awards, doing so twice in the first three weeks of the season. Brown posted back-to-back 14-kill efforts at the UND Classic, hitting a super-efficient .463 on 54 attacks for the weekend, including a mark of .565 in the sweep of North Dakota.
 
Whitley Moody Named A-10 Player of the Week
The junior outside hitter earned her second career Player of the Week honor after leading the Rams to four wins in four days as August turned to September, racking up 54 kills, 35 digs, five blocks, and four aces, averaging 4.32 points per set.
 
USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award
For the third straight year and fourth time in the last five years, the Rams earned a United States Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic award, holding a 3.3 GPA or above for the entire 2021-22 academic year. 12 student-athletes also saw placement on the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll, which requires a 3.0 GPA or better for the year.
 
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
The league's head coaches voted on the annual preseason poll and Fordham was picked to finish seventh. Dayton was selected to successfully defend its title, garnering eight first-place votes, with VCU getting the other two votes and picked second, followed by newcomers Loyola Chicago in third.
 
Next Up
Fordham embarks on a three-weekend, six-match road trip for the remainder of October, starting with two matches at George Washington next weekend, October 14-15, at 6 p.m. and 4 p.m.