STAFF WRITER

The Fordham volleyball team continues to struggle, as a loss against Duquesne on the road Saturday, Oct. 19 moved their losing streak to six games. The Rams, now in the middle of their Atlantic 10 conference schedule, are struggling to win both games and sets. They have now won only three sets in their last five games.

Beating Duquesne on the road was going to be a tough task for the Rams since, the Dukes have a 6-1 conference record, good for second in the A-10. Throughout the game, Duquesne proved why it is one of the best teams in the conference, controlling each set and winning the game in straight sets by scores of 25-14, 25-14 and 25-16. Lisa Hipp led the Rams in kills with 12, while Abigail Konovodoff had a team-leading 19 assists. Maria Rodenberg led the team with 13 digs.

Prior to the Duquesne game, the Rams were in Dayton, Ohio on Friday, Oct. 18 to take on reigning conference champion Dayton in a game that they lost 3-1. The Rams actually won the first set against Dayton by a score of 25-18, but the Flyers then fought back to take the next three sets 25-15, 25-15 and 25-9. Once again, it was Hipp who had the most kills for the Rams picking up 15. Sara Konkel had a team high 30 assists, while Rodenberg’s 15 digs once again led the team.

Despite having dominated A-10 volleyball for the past four years and being unanimously picked in the preseason coaches’ poll to win a fifth straight title, Dayton is actually having a down season. The team is currently just 3-4 in conference play and 9-10 overall, sixth out of the nine teams in the A-10.

The matchup in Ohio was a rematch of a game that had been played a week earlier in the Rose Hill Gym. Dayton also won that match by a score of 3-0, sweeping the Rams 25-23, 28-26 and 25-19, as the Rams put up a fight to keep it close. Brianna O’Neil led the team in kills in this one with 11, while Konkel’s 34 assists were a team-high. Emily Atwood tied with Rodenberg to lead the team with 16 digs.

The Rams also dropped a conference game against Saint Louis. On Sunday, Oct. 13, the Rams lost to the Bilikens 3-1 despite taking the first set in the game 25-22. St. Louis took the next three sets, however, by scores of 25-19, 25-23 and 25-12. O’Neil led the Rams with 13 kills, while Konkel led in assists with 42 and Rodenberg led in digs with 15.

As the Rams look to get back into a winning groove, they now come back to the Bronx for their final three home games of the season. First, this Friday, Oct. 25, VCU will come to Rose Hill at 7 p.m. VCU is currently first in the A-10 with a 7-1 conference record. Then, on Sunday, Oct. 27, La Salle will come to Rose Hill for a 1 p.m. game. La Salle is still searching for its first conference win, as the team sits at 0-7 in conference play and last in the A-10 standings. Those two games lead up to the Rams’ last home game of the season and senior night on Friday, Nov. 2, when St. Louis comes to Rose Hill for a 7 p.m. game.

The Rams are now 1-6 in conference play with a 8-15 record overall. The team is currently eighth out of nine teams in the A-10 standings. The top six teams in the conference qualify for the A-10 tournament. The Rams are currently two games behind Dayton for the final spot in the tournament with seven games left to play.