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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham University volleyball Rams commence the 2023 season with a trip south as they head to Wilmington, N.C., to participate in the UNCW Hampton Inn University Invitational on Friday and Saturday, August 25 and 26. The Rams open play on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. against the host team, UNC-Wilmington, and then play Presbyterian on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and Stetson at 3:00 p.m.

Ramses Challenge
Fordham Athletics has a continuing fundraising challenge this year across all sports; fans can pledge support for their favorite teams in the Ramses Challenge, making a recurring donation for every service ace from Fordham Volleyball this season! Click here to be a part of the challenge! The Rams had 163 service aces last year.
 
2023 Season Preview
The Rams will be into the 2023 season by their two All-Atlantic 10 selections from last fall, senior outside hitter Whitley Moody and sophomore outside hitter Audrey Brown. Moody was named to the All-Conference Second Team for a second consecutive year, while Audrey Brown was selected to the All-Rookie squad.
 
Moody earned her third straight year earning year-end accolades, formerly being named First Team and All-Rookie as a freshman in the abbreviated Spring 2020 season and Second Team last year. She finished the regular season second in the conference in total points (447), points per set (4.14), kills (387), and kills per set (3.58), while leading the league in attacks per set (11.32). Her 1,223 total attacks ranked 17^th nationally, and third-most in program history, while the others are 55^th, 113^th, 63^rd, and 124^th, respectively. Her 3.58 per-set kills rate ranks fifth in program history, while her 387 kills sit ninth.
 
Brown, a three-time Rookie of the Week, was a mainstay in the Fordham rotation this year, amassing the fifth-most kills by a freshman in program history (308), fourth-best hit percentage (.266), and fifth-highest per-set average. Her 341.5 points were second-most in the squad, also adding 66 blocks. For much of the year, she was the only student-athlete within both the kills per set and hit percentage top-10s in the A-10.
 
Fordham has a ten-match nonconference slate, featuring the 20^th Rose Hill Classic as well as tournaments at Columbia and Iona along with the season-opening tournament at UNC-Wilmington. The 2023 conference schedule features 18 matches with all but two taking place as a two-match series either home or away on Fridays and Saturdays (or Saturdays and Sundays). Only the series against Rhode Island is a home & home. The 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship will be hosted by Davidson from November 17-19.
 
New Faces
The Rams welcome six newcomers to the roster in 2023, five freshman and a graduate transfer. The five freshman hail from four different states and one foreign country. The freshman are Lola Fernandez (Austin, Texas / Westwood), Tatum Holderied (Fairfield, Conn. / Fairfield Ludlow), Lorenza Rosenkilde (Naerum, Denmark / H.C. Orsted Gymnasium), Erynn Sweeney (Cypress, Calif. / Mater Dei), and Whitney Woodrow (Fisherville, Ky. / Assumption).
 
The graduate transfer is Nailah Jenkins, a three-time All-CAA selection at Northeastern.
 
Foreign Trip
The Fordham volleyball squad enjoyed a ten-day foreign trip in June to Japan where the Rams competed in three matches in three different cities. The trip also served as a cultural immersion tour as the Rams explored the country and maximized their experience both on and off the court. The entire roster took full advantage of the opportunity to build chemistry and camaraderie in a unique setting.
 
This is the program's second foreign tour, having gone to Italy in 2019 for a similar preseason excursion.

 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
The league's head coaches voted on the annual preseason poll and Fordham was picked to finish seventh. Defending champions Loyola was picked to repeat, garnering seven first-place votes, followed by Dayton who secured two first place votes, with Davidson getting the other first place vote and picked third.
 
Next Up
Fordham plays again on Friday, September 1, as they travel into Manhattan to face Columbia University at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Big Apple Tournament. The Rams will also play Quinnipiac as part of the tournament on Saturday, September 2, at 2:30 p.m.