BRONX, N.Y. – Despite a strong first round victory, visiting Davidson took momentum midway through the day, as Fordham Volleyball fell to the Wildcats in four sets Sunday afternoon.
The Rams captured the first set in dominant fashion despite Davidson opening the match with the lead, but an early timeout helped Fordham regain its composure, as they would go on to tie the score before taking a seven point win to open the match. From there the two sides went to extra points in the second set, before the visitors pulled away late for the victory.
Leading the team with 12 kills was Audrey Brown, who hit .360 individually, while Whitney Woodrow paced the offense with 19 assists, ahead of 11 for Mackenzie Colvin. Defensively Mallory Lipski would tally 22 digs, ahead of 20 from Zoe Talabong and 15 from Whitley Moody, and Nailah Jenkins led the block with one solo and six block assists.
It would be the visitors who would start with the momentum, taking an early lead and prompting a timeout early on. Out of that stoppage the Rams would begin to creep back into the set a couple of points at a time, before drawing level at 12. Flipping the momentum halfway through the frame, it was the Rams who scored six unanswered points with the teams square at 15, and would allow just three more points in the set, before closing out a 25-18 victory.
Taking the lead quickly in the second set, Davidson would work its way back, drawing back level on multiple occasions as the set progressed. The Rams remained strong, even after going down a couple of points midway through, and would never trail by more than two before taking back the lead. The two teams would then trade the next eight points one-for-one, not wanting to back down, but the Wildcats would take the set 26-24.
After a back and forth start to the third set, Davidson would gain the upper hand pushing the lead early to take set three, and would carry that strong play into the fourth where they would take the set to win the match in four.
There's now just two weeks left before the field is set for the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championships which begin Nov. 17 in Davidson, N.C. Fordham volleyball remains in the hunt for the tournament and will look to clinch a bid next weekend with a pair of matches against Loyola.
