Bronx, N.Y. – Start strong, finish strong. Fordham volleyball raced out to a 25-17 opening set win before VCU turned the tide with a pair of hotly contested frames. The hosts dug in and battled back in spectacular fashion, finishing the match out on a 30-11 run from the midway point of the fourth set. With the victory, their second straight, the Bronx Rams improve to 8-9 overall and 2-4 in league play.
"Just an absolutely outstanding and gritty win with a total team effort." Head coach
Ian Choi said, "I couldn't be prouder of this team. It was by far the best college match I've ever been a part of in my coaching career. I'm incredibly happy for the Ramily."
Fordham took advantage of 32 total errors by VCU in attack, 10 coming in the opening frame as the hosts raced out to a 1-0 lead while hitting .227 and producing only three errors themselves. The (host) Rams maintained their momentum into the second set, leading throughout until a late 4-0 run swung the frame back to the visitors, 19-18. The two schools traded points and Fordham even tied it, 23-23, prompting a VCU timeout, but out of the break a pair of kills evened the match at 1-1.
The two schools traded blows for much of the third set until VCU, trailing 16-14, finished on an 11-5 run, including five of the last six points. The visitors kept it up, taking an 8-5 lead and eventually building it to 14-8, forcing Coach Choi to use his first timeout. Out of the break,
Whitley Moody pounced with a kill and
Aneliesa Cartledge served up an ace. After a service error and VCU kill, once again making it a six-point set, the hosts cobbled together three straight kills, two by
Audrey Brown, before Corinna Jones snuck a kill in. Brown rattled off three more kills, making it five straight for her team, and a Moody ace tied the set up, 17-17. A bad set by Jovana Vukcevic gifted Fordham a lead it wouldn't relinquish, adding three more points before VCU got one back on a Moody serve error. Fordham closed out the frame never trailing by more than three.
The fifth set was all Fordham. Five straight points from the jump on
Zoe Talabong's serve eventually built to an 8-2 lead before the teams swapped sides. The (home) Rams didn't let up, pouring on four straight kills, punctuated by an emphatic block by
Aria De La Rosa and
Lauren Arzuaga, prompting a timeout. VCU would score three of the next four points but a Talabong kill and an error by Qairo Bentley completed the comeback.
Moody finished a masterclass effort with 21 kills, one shy of her personal best, and 21 digs, three more than her previous career-high. She also added five aces and two blocks while hitting a team-high .281. Brown came alive over the final two frames to finish with 11 kills off the bench, while Talabong enjoyed her first double-double with 10 kills and 15 digs.
Mallory Lipski was everywhere on the night, constantly extending plays, and finished with 35 digs, matching her career-high. The middle duo of De La Rosa and
Chloe Pejouan each tallied seven kills, the latter blocking five attacks, two solo. Both setters,
Megan Brzozowski and
Mackenzie Colvin double-doubled, as well.
Fordham and VCU meet again tomorrow evening at 5 p.m.
