Volleyball Competes in Yale Invitational this Weekend

Schedule Page
 
Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham volleyball (6-2) returns to action this weekend at the Yale Invitational. The Ram will open things up against Sacred Heart tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. and then take on the hosts at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Villanova at 5 p.m.
 
All matches will be streamed on ESPN+ and all links can be found on 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 22 so far through eight 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!
 
Last Time Out
Playing in Grand Forks, N.D. in the UND Classic, the Rams fell in a tough five-setter to Montana State last Friday but rebounded with a sweep of the hosts on Saturday.
 
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 already through the first three weeks of the season, the league announced on Monday. 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.
 
Series Histories
Sacred Heart – Fordham leads the all-time series, 3-1, since 2003, winning the first three meetings until the most recent, a five-set loss on neutral ground in 2014.
 
Villanova – The Wildcats lead the series, 3-1, since 1990. The two schools didn't meet for 18 years after that initial match and then played once a year 2008-10. Fordham's lone win came in five sets at home in 2009.
 
Yale – The Bulldogs have won all five meetings, played once a year between 1990 and 1995. Fordham has won three sets total over those matches and the two schools haven't played since.
 
National and A-10 Ranks
The Rams have enjoyed a hot start to the season, especially in attack, and lead the Atlantic 10 in hit percentage (.244) and assists per set (12.31) and are second in kills per set (13.22). The squad is also third in digs (14.91) and fourth in aces (1.63). At the national level, those rank 72^nd, 61^st, 70^th, 96^th, and 118^th, respectively.
 
At the individual level, Aria De La Rosa and Audrey Brown are 1-2 in hit percentage within the league (.373 and .370, respectively), while Whitley Moody is tops with 3.91 kills per set and Megan Brzozowski is tops with 9.09 assists per frame. Chloe Pejouan has been excellent at the net, as well, and is fifth with 1.09 blocks per set. Moody is 31^st in the nation with 11.19 attacks per set, 63^rd in kills per set, and 44^th in points per set (4.56), which also leads the conference.
 
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
Atlantic 10 plays begins in earnest next weekend in the Bronx as the Rams host reigning champs, Dayton, in a rematch of last year's championship. The new league format is matches on back-to-back days against the same opponent, so Fordham and the Flyers will play at 6 p.m. on Friday evening and at 2 p.m. on Saturday.