NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (Sept. 6, 2023) - Riding a five-game winning streak to open the 2023 campaign, the Fordham University volleyball team returns to action this Thursday for the first of three matches at the Iona Invitational. The Rams will take on the host Gaels at 4:00 p.m. to open the tournament before taking on LIU on Friday at 4:00 p.m. and Boston College on Saturday morning at 11:00 a.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.

Broadway Battles

The Rams are coming off back-to-back wins last Friday and Saturday at the Big Apple Tournament hosted by Columbia. Fordham took down the host Lions in straight sets to start the tournament before closing the back half of the weekend with a four-set victory over defending MAAC Champion, Quinnipiac. 

In game one against Columbia, the Rams got off to a slow start, but quickly regained their footing after only recording ten kills in the opening set, tallying 31 in the following two on just seven errors to finish the game hitting .283, including a .405 mark in the final frame. Against the Bobcats, Quinnipiac would have its most kills in the first set of Saturday's match, before being held to a combined negative hitting percentage in the proceeding two sets and finishing just .121 for the match.

At 4.21 kills per set, Whitley Moody has already hammered 80 kills for the Rams in 2023, slightly outpacing 64 from Audrey Brown who sits second on the team. Freshman Whitney Woodrow has seamlessly transitioned into the starting setter slot, dishing out 9.84 assists per set through her first five collegiate games, with 187 helpers already this season. 

On defense for Fordham, Mallory Lipski sits one dig shy of the century mark for the season and is currently averaging 5.21 digs per set, ahead of Moody who places second on the team with 62 at 3.26 per. At the tape Nailah Jenkins has tallied the most blocks for the Rams with 15 total for the year, averaging 0.79 per set, the second-best average on the team.

Inside Iona (Rams vs. Gaels - Thursday, Sept. 7 at 4:00 p.m.)

At 2-5 on the young season, Iona comes into their host tournament fresh off a big 3-1 win over Georgetown last time out, handing the Hoyas their only loss of the season thus far. Prior to that, the Gaels lost to Temple to open the season, before a straight-set victory over LIU on Aug. 26, and have played Hofstra, VCU, and Radford in non-conference play. 

Mackenzie Wiggins paces the team on the attack with 2.88 kills per set average and 75 hammers on the season, while Tamara Pichardo has been directing the Iona offense to the tune of 4.21 assists per set with 80 total. Samantha Juran is just back of her with 50 helpers, while on defense, Hope Matschner is leading the way in receptions at 5.04 digs/set, averaging two more receptions per set than Wiggins as she has 131 for the season. At the tape, Jen Soto has recorded the most blocks with 12 total for the season, while Makenna Casper with eight leads the team in blocking average at 0.73 per set.

Looking at LIU (Rams vs. Sharks - Friday, Sept. 8 at 4:00 p.m.)

Seeking its second win of the 2023 campaign, the Sharks will face off with Boston College Friday night before taking on the Rams Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Coming off its first win of the season, Long Island opened the year dropping its first six contests in straight sets before sweeping Fairfield Tuesday night in Brooklyn.

Leading the offense for the Sharks sits Camelia Melendez with 2.55 kills per set, she has recorded 56 for the season, while Selina Koc has seen the majority of the setting duties, dishing out 125 assists at a 5.39 clip per frame. On the opposite side of the ball, Alasha Colon has recorded 133 digs at an average of 5.78 per set to lead the team in receptions, and on the block, Rumur Rouille is tallying an even block per set with 20 on the year including 10 solo rejections.

The BC Beat (Rams vs. Eagles - Saturday, Sept. 9 at 11:00 a.m.)

Splitting its first six matches to open the year, Boston College got off to a hot start with back-to-back wins at home against Michigan and Sacred Heart, both in straight sets, before a four-set defeat at New Hampshire last Wednesday. The Eagles then went across the country, falling to Tennessee and San Diego in Southern California before taking down UC Irvine in a true road game, 3-1. 

At 3.19 kills per set, Alayna Crabtree has dominated for the Eagles' offense as she's hammered a team-high 67 kills, which places her 19 ahead of Halle Schroder with 48 thus far. Pacing the setters' stats sits Sophia Lambros with just over 100 helpers for the year at 5.32 per set, putting her ahead of Grace Penn's 76 for the year, with Jane Petrie also adding 41.

On the defensive side, Anna Murphy has already surpassed the century mark in digs, averaging just under five per set (4.86) which is nearly triple the next-highest marks of 35 from Schroder and 32 from Crabtree. Julia Haggerty is recording an even block per set at the tape, recording 19 blocks for the year heading into this weekend, just ahead of Grace Milken with 0.94/set.

Next Stop

Fordham Volleyball will make its 2023 home debut when the squad returns to action next Friday at 7:00 p.m. to open the Rose Hill Classic in the Bronx. The Rams will square off from the Rose Hill Gymnasium live on ESPN+ against Dartmouth on Friday and FDU on Sunday, in addition to hosting a neutral site game between the Big Green and the Knights on Saturday afternoon.