During Fordham University Volleyball’s tumultuous 2024 season — one mired by injuries, inconsistency and a brutal conference schedule — virtually nothing stayed the same.

Amid the chaos, just one storyline remained unchanged. It wasn’t newsworthy. It would stay unmentioned on every broadcast. It was never written about in an article.

For 27 straight matches, next to the name “Erynn Sweeney” on the scoresheet, were three familiar letters: “DNP” — did not play.

The then-sophomore outside hitter, after playing in select matches as a freshman, reserved herself to the sidelines for an entire season. She walked her sister, Lauryn Sweeney, to centercourt for her senior day. She put in maximum effort during warmups, knowing she wouldn’t play. She sat and learned behind an outside hitter group that was as deep as it was skilled. She watched as then-graduate student Whitley Moody rewrote the record books, and was present when Moody tallied her program-record 25 kills in a four set match last season.

10 months later, in her first match in two years, Sweeney nearly broke that same record.

The 5’11” pin-hitter has a wiry frame and big shoes to fill. Having emerged as the team’s best option to fill the hole left by Moody — the team’s all-time kills leader — and as the heir apparent to Lauryn Sweeney — who won countless awards last year for her impact as a leader — Erynn has assumed an elevated role on and off the court.

During the Rams’ last game last season, Fordham emptied its bench. Everyone who was healthy played, except Sweeney.

“Coach Ian [Choi] always tells me: ‘just keep working,’” Sweeney said later that night. Choi, who is entering his eighth season with Fordham, has seen Sweeney’s work pay off.

Sweeney was rewarded with an opening night start as Fordham traveled upstate to square off with Binghamton University on Friday, Aug. 29. After lineups were announced, Sweeney smiled and laughed alongside senior Audrey Brown while the Bearcats’ hype video played, as though she wasn’t moments away from the biggest match of her career.

The smile didn’t wear off her face all night.

In the opening frame, Sweeney did something her middle school self could’ve never imagined: at the service line, she led Fordham on its longest run of the night, opening up a 9-1 lead and forcing a Binghamton timeout.

“For most of my 12’s year, I could not serve over the net. I worked so hard everyday at practice – carefully listening to the technical corrections of my coaches … to figure out what I was doing wrong, going to the park with my dad to get extra practice time — but nothing seemed to work,” wrote Sweeney.

In 2025, on the Division-I stage, she recorded her team’s first ace of the season. She did not record an error until her 19th serve of the game.
Sweeney has traveled anything but an easy road to showcase her skills at this level, but for Choi, her mindset and character have allowed her to excel.

“Erynn has just been an amazing human being to coach,” said Choi. “She’s been through a lot with the sport and I’m so proud of how she’s responded to the adversity. I think almost any Division-I athlete can tell you how many times they’ve considered quitting … but Erynn has consistently and intentionally made decisions to frame these challenges in a productive way.”

Sweeney, as though channeling years of hard work and patience into one performance, did not stop after leading the Rams’ early charge. In a tight set two loss, she came up clutch once more, hammering six kills, including three kills in a span of five plays to give Fordham a late lead.

In set three, Fordham trailed early — until Sweeney rotated to the front row. Rattling off three consecutive kills, Sweeney brought the Rams even with the Bearcats. They didn’t look back, winning 25-22.

Set four was when a ‘great night’ became a chase for history.

As Binghamton threw its best punch, Sweeney, who had not subbed out all game, was leaping higher than anyone to bury kill after much-needed kill. Late in the frame, she put the team on her back, finding holes in the back row, floating off-speed attacks over blockers or simply overpowering the defense with line-drive spikes. She finished the set with eight more kills, bringing her total to 25. Twenty-five, the all-time program record for kills in a four-set game. Twenty-five, as set by Whitley Moody, the best player to don the Fordham maroon in program history.

The Rams, however, couldn’t pull off the set four win. Instead, Sweeney helped lift the team to an enthralling set five win. She elevated and delivered a kill to bring the team within one, 7-8, after they fell behind early. The next play, she skied and rejected an attack, tying the match. Fordham was never behind again. The Rams cemented the win, 15-10, on an emphatic kill from senior Zoe Talabong. Sweeney got the first touch.

The California native finished the night to a roaring ovation from her team, having lifted Fordham to a season-opening win. She logged 27 kills, 15 digs and seven block assists. Her previous career highs were three, two and two, respectively.

“It doesn’t surprise me that an athlete forged in such a unique way to approach difficulty has finally found her footing with this historic performance,” said Choi.

Sweeney ranked T-2nd in the nation in kills and fourth in the nation with 31.5 points on a day nearly every Division-I team played. Sweeney leads the Atlantic 10 (A-10) in kills and is second in points.

Sweeney humbly called it “a good team win.”

Despite the unforgettable outing, Sweeney wasn’t alone in making history. Junior Tatum Holderied — after missing most of the 2024 season with injuries — appears to be healthy, to say the least, swatting a program record 15 blocks vs Binghamton. Behind Holderied, the Rams broke their all-time team record for total blocks in a game, with 18. After three matches, Holderied leads the entire A-10 with 2.27 blocks per set.

Sweeney would continue to pace the Rams offensively in their final two games of the weekend, losses to high-caliber Lehigh University and University of Connecticut teams.

Sweeney and the Rams will play their next three matches this weekend at the Big Apple Tournament, hosted by the Columbia University Lions.