KINGSTON, R.I. – After a convincing opening set victory Wednesday afternoon, Fordham University volleyball claimed its third straight victory with a four-set win at Rhode Island. The win brings the Rams to .500 in A-10 play with six matches remaining in the regular season.
Fordham would roll in the first set, taking the opener by a convincing eight-point margin to take a 1-0 lead in the contest. After a back-and-forth second set saw the home side draw level with a win in extra points, the visitors would bounce back in another closely contested set, winning by three before a 25-18 victory in set four secured the win and the series sweep for Fordham over Rhode Island, marking the second series sweep for the Rams in conference play this season.
Whitley Moody would pace the attack with 13 of the team's 48 kills on the night, and collected seven digs to go along with a pair of service aces. With seven kills apiece, Audrey Brown and Lorenza Rosenkilde finished second amongst the hitters for the Rams, followed by six hammers each from Nailah Jenkins and Zoe Talabong.
Talabong would tally 11 digs, second most on the team behind a game-high 23 receptions from Mallory Lipski. Rosenkilde was a force on the block, registering eight block assists, marking a new career high, while hitting .545 on the opposite side of the ball. Splitting time at the setter position, Whitney Woodrow tallied 19 assists for the match, just one ahead of a career-best 18 helpers from Mackenzie Colvin.
It's tough to win these midweek games, particularly on the road since the volume of volleyball increases," said Head Coach Ian Choi. "Our student-athletes are grinding it out athletically and academically and if they aren't competing or studying, they're actively recovering through e-stim, cupping, and the like. I'm incredibly proud of how our squad is handling the onslaught of midterms and the competitive rigor. They've collectively committed to a goal and are laser focused in their pursuit. Despite the success, however, we can get better. And that's our expectation."
After a back-and-forth start to the opening frame, Fordham would be the first to go on a run in the match, separating themselves from Rhode Island by a handful of points. Maintaining a four-to-five point advantage for much of the set, another late run by the visitors would give the Rams a set one victory 25-17. A much closer second set would prevent either side from stretching more than a three-point lead at any point in the match, and they would battle into extra points, before the home side pulled out a 28-26 win to level the match at one set apiece.
Moving to the third stanza, the same style of play would carry over, not giving an inch, with URI answering multiple attempts by Fordham to pull away early. Despite the tough play by their opponents, the visiting Rams would bounce back and take a 2-1 lead in the match with a three point victory in the set. It only took a handful of points to start the fourth set before Fordham once again got on a roll, this time extending as much as a seven point lead early in the frame, and would go on to take the set by that same margin.
With three consecutive A-10 wins under their belt, Fordham Volleyball returns to the Rose Hill Gym for its next four contests, beginning this Saturday with the first of two straight meetings with Davidson at 6:00 p.m.
