Fordham Volleyball’s hot start to the season continued at the Rose Hill Classic this past weekend. Fordham put together two strong wins against Dartmouth College and Fairleigh Dickinson University, the last two competitors before they enter conference play. The Rams now sit at 9-1 to begin the season.
Dartmouth has been quite competitive in recent years, with .500+ seasons in the last two years. However, the Rams were able to come out on top after an extremely close match, which went to five sets.
The teams traded sets all afternoon, with Fordham beginning by squeaking a 25-23 win in the first, led mostly by senior outside hitter Whitley Moody and sophomore outside hitter Audrey Brown, with four and three kills respectively in the first set. The clutch set-winning kill came from graduate student middle blocker Nailah Jenkins. Fordham struggled in the second, losing 25-17, with multiple errors and a lack of dominating attack. They bounced back in the third, winning 25-16, with a great all-around performance from the squad that saw multiple different players register kills. The fourth set was the most intense of the night, with the Rams just barely losing 28-26, ending on a block from Dartmouth’s Emma Sinclair. In a rare fifth set, the Rams were able to close it out with a 15-12 win powered by a block and kill from Jenkins. It was an amazing effort overall, with the team having three different double-digit attackers in this contest.
Riding the success of their last win, Fordham took on the struggling Fairleigh Dickinson University at the Rose Hill Gym, who entered this match at 1-11 on the season. Regardless of their record, the Rams made sure to not underestimate their opponent, as they mostly controlled the match throughout. Their only dropped set came in the second, where they were defeated 25-20 as FDU became red-hot and scored the last 8 points.
Fordham recovered quickly and won the last two sets 25-18 and 25-16. Standouts from this game included Moody once again, as she had a double-double with kills and digs. It was a promising final non-conference opponent and despite their opposition’s poor record, it was an exciting victory that will provide Fordham with momentum as they head into the most important stretch of the season.
This Friday, the Rams will have back-to-back games against Atlantic 10 foe Duquesne University at home.
The Dukes currently stand at 5-3 on the year, but have struggled in the past, with the program’s last .500+ season coming seven years ago in 2016. It should be an exciting matchup as the Rams look to start conference play on the right foot.
