Fordham narrowly missed a historic upset in last year’s Atlantic 10 Tournament when their season ended at the hands of Virginia Commonwealth University; in the preseason poll, A-10 coaches forecasted a rematch between the two Rams’ squads.

On Aug. 28, the 2024 A-10 preseason poll was released, bringing with it numerous storylines and talking points. Chief among them is Fordham’s number six ranking in the conference — after being projected seventh in 2023 and making the playoffs as the six seed, coaches seem optimistic that the Rams will, at least, repeat in making the playoffs.

And A-10 playoff appearances are no small feat; the conference feels as star-studded as ever, with nationally ranked University of Dayton getting unanimous first place votes. On their heels are Loyola University Chicago and VCU, who have rosters that would have yielded first-place votes in an average year. 

Unfortunately, the Rams’ reality is that this year’s A-10 is not your ordinary A-10, and it will take yet another expectation-surpassing season to find themselves in the mix come November. That said, expectations ought to be high, considering the club has made a routine of consistently out-performing them under head coach Ian Choi. 

Friday, the Rams flew to Colorado for a pair of season-opening tilts in the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic; the team headed to the tournament-hosting the U.S. Air Force Academy with aspirations of replicating their eye-popping 7-0 run to open last season, one which spurred them to a 10-1 record in their first 11 matches. The team will log its fair share of air miles this season, playing 16 road games in their 27-game season; in 2023, they played as visitors 18 times in 29 matches.

However, their competition proved fierce, with the Rams dropping straight sets in matches against Air Force and the University of South Dakota. In fairness, both of Fordham’s foes were formidable; South Dakota is a perennial contender in the Summit League, while Air Force plays in a loaded Mountain West conference. 

Despite the sweep, Fordham kept things tight in each set against Air Force. The Rams were led by their superstar veteran pairing, with graduate student Whitley Moody and junior Audrey Brown combining for 22 of the team’s 33 kills. Newcomer Sophia Kuyn proved versatile in her debut, tallying four kills and three blocks. Sophomore Whitney Woodrow starred, too, pacing the club with 13 assists and a service ace. In the end, it was a 25-21/25-20/25-18 performance from the victorious Falcons, leaving the Rams 0-1.

Against South Dakota, the Rams had a more balanced attack, albeit suffering the same fate. In a 25-14/25-20/25-20 losing bout, it was senior Lauryn Sweeney who led the charge, posting six kills and seven digs. Sophomore Lorenza Rozenklide impressed as well, notching a team-high .365 hitting percentage on five kills, with three block assists to boot. Brown added five kills, a solo block and two block assists in an effective all-around showing.

If these matches are any litmus test, their tale of the tape indicated clear strengths and weaknesses for this Rams team. Unsurprisingly, having brought in three 6-foot-tall freshmen this season, the club continues to dominate at the net; they were a combined 13-9 in blocks in their two matches. Meanwhile, the club is without a defensive centerpiece in Mallory Lipski, who graduated last year after setting a school record in all-time digs. In their two matches, Fordham was a combined 70-105 in digs. The Rams also lack a clear service specialist, mounting just four service aces to their opponents’ 11. Conspicuously absent from the Rams’ rotation was junior Zoe Talabong, who posted 24 service aces last season, while placing third on the team in kills. Sophomore libero Lola Fernandez received limited playing time, too, after a 23-service ace season as a freshman.

Altogether, though Fordham opened their season in unceremonious fashion, there’s much to look forward to. The club will be back in New York for this weekend’s Big Apple Tournament, where they’ll seek their first wins during a three-game slate against Manhattan College, Syracuse University and Columbia University. The Rams may have opened their 2024 campaign 0-2, but they have 25 games to right the ship, something this team has excelled at doing with its current coaches and personnel.