BRONX, N.Y. – An exhilarating conclusion to the Atlantic 10 opener Friday night saw freshman Lola Fernandez drill five consecutive serves to help Fordham University Volleyball rally back from down 14-10 to win the fifth set and the match over Duquesne. After trailing 2-1 in the match the Rams bounced back to force the fifth set, before winning 18-16 to improve to 10-1 on the season.
A dominant day defensively by Fordham saw Tatum Holderied tally 9.5 total blocks, including one solo and sent back three block assists in the fourth to pace the team, which had 13.0 total for the match. A pair of players led the receiving numbers with 19 apiece in Zoe Talabong and Mallory Lipski, to lead 69 total by the Rams.
Offensively, Audrey Brown slammed 21 kills, leading a group of three double-digit attackers for the home side, with Whitley Moody adding 15 and Nailah Jenkins adding 11 hammers. Whitney Woodrow notched a double-double for herself with 36 assists along with 13 digs, while Moody collected 10 digs along with a pair of service aces.
"The ability for a squad of 16 to collectively claw their way back from a fall and regain their execution and confidence, that points to something special," said Head Coach Ian Choi postgame. "Our team's choice to stay present and dial in throughout those critical moments proves that this will be a special year. I'm proud of every student-athlete on this team!"
Moody and Brown would each rattle off five kills in the opening frame as the Rams drilled 17 in the first while hitting .484 as a team. A 4-1 run right out of the gates gave Fordham the lead early on and they never looked back as the Dukes only managed to cut into the lead by as little as three at any point in the set.
In the second, Duquesne came out with a bit of a vengeance, looking to level the match and would do so with a 25-17 win. The visitors would also gain the upper hand in the third set, despite the Rams keeping it closer this time, but a four-point victory in the frame gave Duquesne a 2-1 lead in the match heading into the fourth stanza.
It was in the fourth that the Rams gained their first lead since the opening set towards the later stages of the period, taking the lead at 17-16 before going on to take the set by five and force a decisive fifth set. Duquesne would gain an advantage early, going up 8-4 when the teams switched sides of the court, and would maintain their lead through to the first opportunity at match point. Trailing 14-10, Fernandez would sub in to serve and do so impressively with a service ace right out of the gate, before four more strong serves that Fordham would win the point on to draw even and go ahead 16-15. The Dukes would tie the score on two more occasions before back-to-back kills by Brown sealed the victory for the Rams.
Fordham and Duquesne will square off again from the Rose Hill Gym tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. to wrap up the weekend set.
