BRONX, N.Y. – The Rams took the opening set in thrilling fashion and went on to force five sets Friday night, before falling to No. 3 VCU in the First Round of the Atlantic 10 Championship.
Mallory Lipski in her final appearance for the Rams would provide one more lasting impression in her career, surpassing the program's all-time digs record with 27 today to pass the previous record of 1,844 digs, finishing her career with 1,877.
Whitley Moody would lead the way for the offense, slamming 23 kills and collecting 13 digs, while Audrey Brown finished with double digit hammers as well, tallying 10. Brown would also notch six digs and three block assists defensively, while Nailah Jenkins led the way at the tape with six block assists and a pair of solo rejections. As a team the Rams had four solo blocks and eight assisted blocks, while slamming 54 kills and collecting 86 digs.
VCU would dominate out of the gates with an 8-2 run to start, forcing a Fordham timeout early. That break would prove beneficial as the Rams would slowly creep back into the frame, scoring 11-of-16 points from there to draw level at 13-all. A closely contested set from there would see VCU hold a slim lead late, getting to set point before a trio of kills by three different Rams helped Fordham take the set one win in extra points, 26-24.
Trading blows to open the second stanza, Fordham would keep within a couple of points, before VCU pulled away midway through to level the match at a set apiece. With their opponents pulling away early in the third, Fordham would have to play from behind, making the set much closer as it progressed but fell in a narrow battle 25-23.
With their back against the wall heading into the fourth, the Rams would come out firing on the attack, taking as much as a five-point lead as the sides approached the media timeout. Following the stoppage, Fordham would further bolster its advantage, taking a three point win in the frame to force a decisive fifth set, but in the fifth VCU would pull away early and gain enough of an advantage to hold off a strong comeback effort by the Rams.
