Volleyball Sends Seniors Off With Win Over George Mason

November 19, 2014

The Rams finished 3-25 in their first season under head coach Gini Ullery. Samuel Joseph/The Ram

By Anthony Pucik

The Rams headed into the final two games of their season 2-24 (2- 10 in the conference), but had the chance to become 4-10 in the Atlantic 10 with the George Washington Colonials and the George Mason Patriots visiting the Rose Hill Gym.

The team’s first game was on Friday, Nov. 14, against the Colonials, who swept the Rams in our nation’s capital back in late September.

George Washington opened up the first set leading 5-1, but the Rams came back with six of the next eight points to tie the set at seven. The Colonials then went on another run to go up by six. Fordham was only able to cut the deficit down to five, and George Washington took the first set 25-18. The second set was knotted at three until a 10-5 run by the Colonials put them up five. The Rams would only be able to muster up a few more points in the set, as George Washington took a commanding 2-0 set lead, winning set two 25-13.

The third set was tied at six when Fordham went on a 7-3 run to go up by four. George Washington came back to tie the set at 15, but Fordham was able to power through, taking 10 of the next 13 points and winning the set 25-18, its first set win in two plus games, to avoid the sweep. The fourth set opened tightly once again with the score 10 all, but George Washington went on a small run to go up 16-12 and took hold of the set. Fordham brought itself back to within one point numerous times, but the Colonials held the Rams off, taking the set 25-17 and the match three sets to one. Junior Brianna O’Neil once again led Fordham in kills with 15, while junior Abigail Konovodoff tallied 36 assists and freshman Grace Muller added 11 digs.

The loss dropped the Rams to 2-25 on the season and 2-11 in conference play. Their final match of the season was against the 6-21 (2-12) Patriots on the following day, Nov. 15. George Mason swept the Rams in late September, but that was not the case on Senior Day.

Fordham opened the first set with six straight points and jumped out to a 10-2 lead. George Mason cut the Rams’ lead to as low as five, but Fordham ended up taking the first set 25-17. In the second set it was the Patriots who took the early 8-3 advantage before the Rams scored 10 of the next 15 points to tie the set at 13. The score then reached 17 all before George Mason broke through on a 5-2 run to go up 22-19 and eventually take the set 25-21 to even the sets at one.In the third set, Fordham got off to a hot start, scoring the first seven points and nine of the first 12. George Mason never led and Fordham took the set 25-21 to go up two sets to one in the game. The fourth set was a bit closer, with Fordham leading 11-6. The Patriots cut the lead to three to make it 15-12 Rams, but Fordham prevailed in the end, winning the set 25-21 and the game three sets to one. The win over George Mason was big, as Fordham ended its season 3-25 and 3-11 in conference, which put it in a tie for seventh in the A-10 standings.Senior Chandler Moore had a huge game in her last contest, tally- ing a team-high 15 kills. Graduate student Lisa Hipp added in 14 kills and a team-high 11 digs, ending her illustrious Fordham career on a high note. Junior Abigail Konovodoff put up 51 assists, while freshman Grace Muller and junior Brianna O’Neil each added 10 digs in the victory.

Head coach Gini Ullery was ex- tremely happy with her team’s per- formance in the last game. “It was great to end the season on a win,” she said. “For all the ups and down this season, finishing play this way is a great thing moving into the spring.”

While the Rams are losing Hipp, Moore, Gabriela Cinkova and Lind- say Ritchie to graduation, many of the top performers this season, such as Konovodoff and O’Neil, will be returning next season. Coach Ullery says those returners will have to take on an increased leadership role.

With rising young talent like Muller, Molly Oshinski and Sarah Skelton, who gained invaluable ex- perience in the A-10 in their first seasons this year, the future looks bright for Fordham volleyball. “Our young athletes are learning what it takes to play at this level and what is expected from them on a daily basis,” Ullery said. “They will have a spring to improve on individual skills and develop mental tough- ness. I see this team working to put themselves in the best position to be ready next season, both physically and mentally.”

Anthony Pucik is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Fordham Ram.