NEW YORK – A strong effort on both sides of the floor Saturday afternoon, saw the Fordham University Volleyball team claim a four-set victory over Quinnipiac to close the Big Apple Tournament. The victory saw a pair of Rams rattle off double-doubles on the day courtesy of both Whitley Moody and Whitney Woodrow.
It was an all-around day for the Fordham defense, who after only having two blocks in the win over Columbia the night before, surpassed that output in just the opening set Saturday, ending the match with 11 total, led by seven block assists by Nailah Jenkins who also contributed eight kills. Both Woodrow and Tatum Holderied would each tally four assists on the block, with three other players also contributing to the team's marks.
"Our team stepped up against a wicked, out-of-system offense, said Head Coach Ian Choi. "We knew going into this match the Quinnipiac was sending velocity over the net. It took a set, but our block was huge in our transition offense. This is a special team, hat's off to everyone on this roster for working and contributing every day to propel this program forward.
Despite their opponents hitting .297 in the opening frame, the Rams defense emphatically shut down the Quinnipiac attack in the next two sets, forcing a negative hitting percentage in the second frame and blanking the Bobcats offense in the third. Elsewhere defensively it was a 13-dig effort for Mallory Lipski at the libero spot to go with for assists on offense, while Woodrow led the team in both digs and assists with 16 and 41 respectively, for her first collegiate double-double.
On the offensive side, the Rams hit above .200 in each of the four frames for a match total of 51 hammers and a hitting percentage of .276 overall. Moody would also have a highlight day, hammering 17 kills and 11 digs, ahead of a 12-kill day for Audrey Brown. Zoe Talabong would contribute an additional eight kills, while also adding five digs and three block assists.
As the match got underway, neither side would give an inch, with the lead never growing to more than two points until after reaching 15-all. From there, Quinnipiac would pull away to an opening set win, but they would lead just one more time for the remainder of the contest.
Fordham would use a resounding effort in the second, scoring all but two of the first nine points, and going on to double up the Bobcats at 14-7. After Quinnipiac gained back to within five, the Rams would pull away by as much as 12, the final margin in the frame to draw level at one with a 25-13 win.
The third set was much of the same, seeing Quinnipiac score the first point, but it was all Fordham from there, despite a closer first few points. With the Rams up 8-7, they would pull out to an eventual 11-3 run to go up 19-10 and take the set by nine to take the upper hand in the match.
Scoring the first four points of the game, Fordham would open a seven-point advantage early on at 10-3, but the Bobcats would begin to work their way back into the match a couple of points at a time. Piecing together points, Quinnipiac would cut the deficit to three, but it would be the closest they would get, as Fordham rolled to its fifth straight win to start the 2023 campaign.
Fordham Volleyball is back in action next weekend for another tournament close to home, with three matches slated as part of the Iona Invitational. The Rams will take on the host Gaels on Thursday afternoon, followed by meetings with LIU and Boston College that Friday and Saturday.
