BRONX, N.Y. – As the days get longer, the fall season gets closer and ahead of the season of Fordham University Volleyball, Head Coach Ian Choi announced Tuesday a 27-match slate for the 2024 campaign, featuring 11 matches within the friendly confines of the Rose Hill Gymnasium.
A nine-match non-conference slate will see the Rams play in four tournaments to open the year, before an 18-game A-10 schedule, with the Rams hosting the 21st edition of the Rose Hill Classic in September.
"I'm excited about our non-conference schedule this year," said Coach Choi. "After a successful 2023 campaign, we have opportunities to build off of that momentum and compete against some solid programs in competitive conferences."
Coming off of a year that saw the Rams open the 2023 season with a program record seven consecutive victories, Fordham volleyball made the Atlantic 10 Championship, nearly upending VCU in a five-set opening round contest. The Rams posted a 17-12 record last season, rattling off nine wins during tournament play in August and September, and saw four players earn All-Conference accolades at year's-end.
The Maroon and White will begin the 2024 campaign out West as they venture to Colorado for a pair of games at The Air Force Academy, taking on the host Falcons in the first match of the year on Aug. 30, before taking on South Dakota the following day, one of the top teams in the Summit League last season.
Finishing in a four way tie atop the conference standings at 12-4, the Yotes would go 18-11 overall, earning a bid to the NIVC. Behind a 17-12 record a year ago, Air Force went 9-9 in the Mountain West, providing the Rams a pair of early season tests right out of the gates.
Returning back to the Five Boroughs for the second tournament of the year, the Rams head down to Manhattan for three matches at Columbia that will see Fordham battle for state bragging rights against a trio of New York State foes.
The "Battle of the Bronx" will shift down to Broadway as the Rams take on Manhattan for the first time since 2019 when they take to the court for the first of two matches on Sept. 6. Later that afternoon Fordham will take on Syracuse, before closing the tournament on Sept. 7 with a single match against the host Lions.
With five matches under their belt, a trip across the Hudson to FDU sees the Rams take on Lafayette and the host Knights on consecutive days, Sept. 13 and 14. Boasting an 11-3 record in the NEC last season, FDU advanced to the conference championship, but fell to LIU in the title match.
After three weekends away from home, the Maroon and White make their way back to the Bronx on Sept. 20 for the first of two days of action as part of the 21st edition of the Rose Hill Classic.
Opening the home slate with a single game against Binghamton, a neutral site battle between the Bearcats and West Virginia will serve as the front-end of a day two doubleheader on Sept. 21, before the Rams take on Seton Hall later that day. Binghamton went 15-12 last season, defeating New Hampshire to advance to the America East title match, where the Bearcats would fall to No. 1 seed UMBC on the road.
"Heading out West to face the Air Force right out the gate will be an incredibly enriching experience for our student-athletes," said Choi. "And our non-conference schedule overall will certainly have us prepared for conference play."
Wrapping up the non-conference slate against the Pirates, Fordham will remain at home for the 2024 A-10 opener on Sept. 27-28 hosting Saint Louis, a team that advanced to the league semifinals last season. From there, the Rams make just their second trip outside the Tri-State Area, starting a three-game road trip with a pair of matches at George Washington on Oct. 4-5, looking to sweep the Revolutionaries for the second year in a row.
The lone home-and-home series in A-10 play sees the Rams head out to Rhode Island on Oct. 9 for a single midweek bout, before returning home that weekend to host George Mason, Oct. 12-13. Heading back out on the road the following weekend, Fordham will head to Pittsburgh for a pair of matches at Duquesne after splitting the season series at Rose Hill a year ago.
Kicking off a three-game homestand the following weekend, the Rams will host defending A-10 Champion Dayton, Oct. 25-26, facing a Flyers team that defeated RV Pepperdine in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Finishing ranked No. 20 in the final AVCA Poll of 2023, Dayton set a program record of 32-3 a year ago.
From there, the Rams will host Rhode Island in the midweek on Oct. 29, before heading down to the Tar Heel State to open November against Davidson on Nov. 2-3, and then to Loyola Chicago for the penultimate weekend of the regular season, Nov. 8-9.
Fordham will return home for the final weekend of the regular season, as the Rams take on VCU for the first time since the 2023 postseason, playing a pair of matches on Nov. 15-16, with the latter of the two also serving as the Rams' senior day.
The top six teams in the conference will head to Dayton, OH. for the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Nov. 22-24 with the winner of the tournament receiving the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
