Volleyball Remains on the Road for Two Matches this Weekend

Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham volleyball team (9-9, 2-3 A-10) snapped a three-match losing skid last Sunday with a resounding four-set victory at George Washington and will now look to carry that momentum into two more Atlantic 10 road contests this weekend at Dayton (14-5, 5-1 A-10) and Saint Louis (2-16, 1-5 A-10) on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, respectively. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+. International ESPN+ viewers CLICK HERE and select the game or match you want to view. You'll be directed to a specific page for subscriptions. Last Time Out The Rams struggled to start last weekend at George Mason, tallying just four kills and eight errors in attack in the opening set and, despite turning those numbers around with 13 kills and just one error, allowing 20 kills to the Patriots in set two to fall into a hole. Fordham came out of the extended break with a win in set three but ultimately fell in four. With matches on back-to-back days, the squad didn't have much time to regroup but regroup they did in a strong four-set win at George Washington on Saturday. The Rams jumped out to a two-set advantage with terrific efficiency on offense, combining for 35 kills and just three errors during that stretch. After a back-and-forth third set that saw the Rams tie the game at 22-all late but fall shortly thereafter, Fordham closed out the win with another strong set in attack with 15 more kills at a .371 clip. The Rams got close to the program's four-set single-match record of a .370 team hit percentage, finishing with .356 on 149 total attacks and a season-low eight errors. Both Kaitlin Morley and McKenna Lahr notched their fifth and sixth straight double-doubles to lead the offense. Morley matched her career-high with 22 kills against the Colonials and tacked on a personal-best 20 digs against George Mason. Sophia Plett made the start in the latter match and went off for career-highs of 49 assists and 15 digs. Alena Cashdan made her first start at libero and totaled 19 digs, as well. Elise Benjamin continued her stellar pace defensively with a combined 13 blocks on the weekend. Series Histories Dayton – The Flyers, winners of seven of the last nine Atlantic 10 championships and 10 overall, hold a 37-1 all-time series lead over Fordham since 1995. The Rams lone victory came in five sets in the Bronxx back in 1997. Dayton has four wins in the middle 2000's as a top-25 nationally. The Flyers won both contests a year ago in four matches. McKenna Lahr double-doubled in each match and Morgan Williams combined for 39 digs. Saint Louis – Likewise, the Billikens hold a strong advantage over the Rams in their rivalry, winning 19 of the series' 20 contests since they joined the conference in 2005. Fordham's lone win came in five sets on the road in 2011. The Billikens, once a top-25 team, as well, in 2009, won in five sets in the Bronx and in four at Chaifetz Arena a year ago. Conference & National Ranks Individual

• Kaitilin Morley 252 kills (A10: 4th, NCAA: 77th)

• Kaitlin Morley 3.45 kills per set (A10: 5th, NCAA: 145th)

• Kaitlin Morley 276.5 points (A10: 4th, NCAA: 96th)

• McKenna Lahr 208 kills (A10: 6th, NCAA: N/A)

• McKenna Lahr 2.93 kills per set (A10: 6th, NCAA: N/A)

• Morgan Williams 307 digs (A10: 3rd, NCAA: 88th)

• Morgan Williams 4.26 digs per set (A10: 6th, NCAA: 141st)

• Elise Benjamin 1.45 blocks per set (A10: 2nd, NCAA: N/A)

• Makaela Tanaka 7.54 assists per set (A10: 7th)

• Sophia Plett 7.34 assists per set (A10: 8th)

Team

• 871 kills (A10: 3rd, NCAA: 128th)

• 822 assists (A10: 3rd, NCAA: 122nd)

• 1,120 digs (A10: 3rd, NCAA: 84th)

• 82 aces (A10: 5th NCAA: 187th)

• 160.0 total blocks (A10: 3rd, NCAA: 71st)

• 2.19 blocks per set (A10: 4th, NCAA: 106th)

Back-to-Back Defensive Player of the Week Winners Two Fordham juniors earned their first career Defensive Player of the Week honors and the program's first since 2012. It's also just the third time two different Rams won the accolade during the same season. Two weeks ago it was Elise Benjamin after a torrid stretch at the net and the week prior it was Morgan Williams who has been rock solid at libero for the Rams. Read more about Elise's and Morgan's weeks at the respective links. Preseason Poll Fordham was selected to repeat its finishes of the past two years and end this upcoming season seventh it was announced in the Atlantic 10's preseason poll voted on by the league's head coaches. The Rams garnered 36 votes. Read more about it. Up Next Fordham returns to the Bronx for a pair of matches next weekend before heading back out on the road for its final three contests away from home of the regular season. The Rams will host Davidson next Friday at noon in the team's annual Field Trip Day and then reigning A-10 champion VCU on Sunday at 1 p.m.