Despite a 1-2 record on the weekend, Fordham University Volleyball made it clear that its season-opening success isn’t a surprising run, but a reflection of its identity: a scrappy group with a chip on its shoulder — and the nation’s best blocker on the frontlines.
Through her first eight matches, junior middle blocker Tatum Holderied stands alone as NCAA-DI’s top blocker, and it’s not close. At last week’s Rose Hill Classic, she dominated at the tape, posting seven, 10 and 11 blocks.
Holderied ranks first in the country in both major blocking metrics, having notched 76 blocks and 2.24 blocks per set. The runners-up have 61 blocks and 1.90 blocks per set, respectively.
In a noteworthy freshman campaign, Holderied averaged 1.09 blocks per set — one of the four best marks in program history. After a sophomore season riddled with injury, questions were looming about Holderied’s ability to return to her rookie-season form. She’s been, by the numbers, twice as good as her rookie performances.
For her efforts, Holderied was awarded Atlantic 10 (A-10) Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks. During the week she didn’t win the award, she outblocked the winner 22 to 11.
In Fordham’s 3-0 sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU), the Rams swatted 14 blocks to begin what would become a weekend-long block party in the Bronx.
Holderied and fellow middle blocker, sophomore Sophia Kuyn, combined for 11 blocks, pairing most of the time with junior outside Erynn Sweeney and junior setter Whitney Woodrow, who’s quickly developed from star to superstar in her junior season. Woodrow’s four blocks against FDU tied a career high; she’s now posting career-best per-set marks in assists, digs, aces, kills and blocks.
Senior Audrey Brown — ranked second in NCAA in blocks by a right-side hitter — had three rejections, while adding 13 kills on a career-best .619 hitting rate.
Brown stayed hot during a Friday afternoon four-set loss to Hofstra University, adding seven kills and a career-high 16 digs. As a team, Fordham posted 15 blocks.
The party stayed bumping Saturday. The Rams managed to top each of their previous feats, recording 16 rejections, which included a set-winning shutdown from Holderied and senior Zoe Talabong in set two.
As the weekend came to a close, Head Coach Ian Choi dipped into his bench, where the Rams’ reserves delivered some of their best-ever outings.
In Friday’s loss to the undefeated Hofstra University Pride, senior Mackenzie Colvin gave the team a much-needed jolt, getting low for three clutch digs against the hardest-hitting squad the team has faced all season thus far.
On Saturday, sophomore Bridget Woodruff took over late in the Rams’ set two win; two of Fordham’s last five points came from a Woodruff block and kill. Woodruff was uber-efficient, using her left-handed swing to land a career high-tying five kills on seven attacks. Sophomore Gabby Destler, who struggled in the back row to start the season, was exceptional defensively against Temple, logging six digs, adding five kills and two blocks.
The Rams’ best back row player thus far, however, has been sophomore Özge Özaslan. While taking lead libero duties, Özaslan has looked better with each match, finishing the weekend with a 22-dig outing. The things that Özaslan does to get to seemingly unreachable balls cannot be described with words; while the Fordham block rightfully gets its shine, Özaslan’s hustle gives this team its heart, keeping them in contention on every point they play.
Though Fordham eventually fell to a 6-3 Temple squad with a litany of quality pin hitters, the Rams firmly established that their blocking isn’t some one-off run — it’s who they are.
Fordham has extended its streak of games with double-digit blocks to five, the longest in program history. Their 45 combined blocks are the most in a three-match span in program history. In fact, the team’s 49 combined blocks in its top three best blocking performances this year are the most in any combined three games from any individual season in program history.
The Rams now rank first in the nation in blocks and third in blocks per set. Equipped with the single-best blocker in the country, one of the best blocking right-sides in the NCAA, and a trio of above-average blockers on the strong side in Sweeney, Talabong and Destler, this Fordham team could legitimately end up a top-five blocking team in the nation, just one year removed from a 254th-place finish in that exact same category.
Fordham was projected to finish last in their conference entering the season, and no one batted an eye. Just three weeks later, the narrative has completely shifted.
With a firmly established identity and a slew of players enjoying breakout seasons, this Rams squad has shown that they can be competitive for a playoff spot, even in a loaded A-10 conference.
For the meantime, the Ram block party hopes to bounce back in the team’s finale of non-conference play against the 1-8 Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils. The game will begin at 3 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 20, with televised coverage on ESPN+.
