Even after coming up empty-handed against Saint Louis University in their Atlantic 10 opening series, the Fordham University Rams seemed poised to get in the conference win column as they traveled south to Washington, D.C., for a two-game bout with the George Washington University Revolutionaries last Friday and Saturday. After just one set, it became apparent that the conquest for that elusive first victory would be an uphill battle.
After a GW kill and a Fordham response, Friday’s first set sat tied at one. It was never tied again. On the back of eight attack errors from the Rams, the Revolutionaries ran away to a 25-7 win. Fordham seemed to have trouble stymying GW’s momentum, surrendering three runs of five unanswered points in the frame.
The Rams, as they have all season, found a way to flush a bad set away in the time it took to switch sides on the court. Despite hitting just .150 in the set — and a dismal .066 for the night — Fordham managed to pull away from a back-and-forth fight for a 25-22 win, knotting the match at one. At first glance, set two looked like another Revs win, until sophomore Lola Fernandez changed the game’s complexion at the service line, drilling two straight service aces as the Rams went from down 5-9 to up 10-9. Fordham was propelled by several contributors to their eventual win, with their two superstars clinching the win: graduate student Whitley Moody’s kill made it 24-22, and junior Audrey Brown’s hammer sent it to set three. Both kills were set up by sophomore Whitney Woodrow, who was instrumental with 10 assists in the period.
The third frame began in the same manner as the last played out: the two clubs battled narrowly with Moody and freshman pin hitter Mila Micunovic keeping the Rams afloat.
Moody wound up with four kills in the frame, but the Rams mustered just fourteen in a set that was dominated by GW from the half-way point on.
With the match on the line, the Rams threw their best punch at a Revolutionaries club that stands at a remarkable 13-4 on the season. While GW was supposed to be a bottom of the barrel team amid a packed A-10 field, they proved in set four that they’ve been underestimated.
The Fordham attack was again buoyed by Moody, Brown and Micunovic, who each put up multiple kills in the set. Ultimately, though, the Revs overpowered the Rams and took game one, 25-17. The Rams were uncharacteristically poor on the reception, allowing 11 service aces despite ranking second in the conference in digs on the season. They continued to put up inconsistent numbers at the line, too, with 10 errors on the serve. Woodrow accounted for four of those, extending a now-five game streak with a service error; she was otherwise excellent, posting 23 assists and six digs. Moody was prolific, tabbing 13 kills and 13 digs on .282 hitting, while Micunovic had a breakout game, finishing with six kills and a block.
Saturday told a similar story to that of sets three and four on Friday. The Rams kept it tight in every frame, holding several leads, before eventually succumbing to the Revs in straight sets. Fordham was, again, poor on the reception, allowing nine GW aces; and, again, Fordham was erroneous on the attack, with 15 miscues.
The nail in the coffin came in set two when the Rams appeared poised to tie the match at one all. With Fordham commanding a 20-16 lead, GW did the unthinkable and rallied for nine of the frame’s last ten points, seizing control of the affair. In another tight set, the Rams periled 20-25, while the Revs brandished their brooms and advanced to 3-1 in conference play; Fordham, on the other hand, sits at 0-4.
It wasn’t a poor performance for Fordham, despite the scoreline, with a few points shifting the pendulum from Fordham’s side to GW’s. One bright spot was freshman setter Emma Stammeyer, who played her first four sets during the weekend. She played all three on Saturday, racking up 12 assists and six digs.
After sparring seven sets, the Revs and Rams reversed the script and lined up on the same side of the net. Posing with the officials, the group honored the referees’ commitment to the sport all in celebration of Girls and Women’s Volleyball Official Appreciation Week.
With the festivities winding down, Fordham ventured back to the Bronx. They won’t stay there long: tonight, they’re headed to the University of Rhode Island for a matchup between the A-10’s two winless teams. It’s the first time the Rams will play in the middle of week; it’s worth monitoring how a change in routine may impact their performance.
From there, the squad will return home for a two-game stint with George Mason University, another subpar A-10 opponent. If all goes well, the Rams’ recent struggles will be a distant memory, and a three-game win streak will boost them back into playoff contention.
Until then, the maroon and white have plenty to build off of, and still more to clean up.
