NEW YORK – Bouncing back from an opening set defeat, Fordham University Volleyball would take the next two sets, but a gritty Saint Louis team would force a deciding fifth set, pulling away to hand the Rams a heartbreaking 3-2 loss Friday night to open Atlantic 10 Conference play.

After splitting the first 22 points evenly to open the night, the visitors would push what would eventually be a seven-point lead, and fight off a late rally by Fordham to take the opening set, 25-19. The Rams would go on to take sets two and three to take a 2-1 lead in the match, but the Billikens would force a fifth set, taking control early in the finale to pull away and steal the win.

Audrey Brown would lead the Rams as she rattled off 18 kills and notched four block assists, while Whitley Moody had a double double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Lorenza Rosenkilde would also slam 10 kills along with five block assists, while Lauryn Sweeney tallied nine kills, nine digs, and a pair of block assists. Whitney Woodrow would dish out 45 assists and collect 14 digs for a double-double, while Ryan Naumann paced the team with 16 receptions on the night.

Trading point-for-point to open the night, Saint Louis would use a seven point run to pull away midway through. Fordham would battle back in the closing stages, rattling off five in a row facing set point, but would eventually see the Billikens tally their final point to take the first set by six.

Fordham would hit .317 in the second set, drilling 17 kills in the frame, but would have to fight throughout the set to draw back level, doing so with a 25-21 victory in the period. Stretching a four-point lead in the early parts of set three, the Rams saw their lead erased, but stayed confident and battled back to take a three point win and push a 2-1 advantage in the match. Needing a win in the fourth, Saint Louis would fall behind early, but fought off the Rams' attempts to end the match, eventually going to extra points, winning 27-25 to force a fifth set, where the visitors would claim a 15-4 win.

Fordham and Saint Louis return to the Rose Hill Gymnasium tomorrow for game two of the weekend series at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+.