Volleyball Falls to Saint Louis and Dayton 

Fordham+Volleyball+had+a+tough+week+after+two+Atlantic+10+losses.+%28Courtesy+of+Fordham+Athletics%29

Fordham Volleyball had a tough week after two Atlantic 10 losses. (Courtesy of Fordham Athletics)

Gigi Speer, Contributing Writer

On Friday, Oct. 4, Fordham Volleyball traveled to Saint Louis University and lost in a tight 3–2 match to the Billikens, losing no set by more than five points.

Despite the loss, the team showcased its toughness and competitive spirit as it won the third and fourth sets. The team even managed to get within one in the final set, coming back from a 12–8 deficit to score its final points on two kills from junior McKenna Lahr and one from freshman Aria De La Rosa to make the score 12–11 before the Billikens dominated for the final points and took the set 15–11.

Another strength of the Rams is their defensive performances, showcased in their 14 blocks across the match, while SLU only managed eight. Senior Elise Benjamin lead the way with seven blocks, while sophomore Joey Landeros followed with four and De La Rosa with three.

Offensively, Lahr racked up 12 kills in her clutch performance, Benjamin added 11 and De La Rosa 10. Freshman Megan Brzozowski notched her seventh double-double of the year with 26 assists, 15 digs and three aces, while sophomore setter Makaela Tanaka added 14 assists and seven digs.

On Sunday, the Flyers took the win in three sets, 25–20, 25–16, 25–20, as the Rams hit at a season-low hit rate of .069%.

Lahr continued to lead the pack, tallying eight kills, 12 digs, three blocks, an ace and an assist. Redshirt junior Olivia Fairchild and Landeros each added four kills, while Brzozowski had eight assists and Tanaka six.

Defensively, Benjamin contributed four out of the team’s total seven blocks, and senior libero Morgan Williams continued her climb up all-time rankings, now only 100 digs shy of Stephanie Frost’s 2006 record of 1,662, after her 18 against Dayton.

The Rams will be on the road yet again this week, as they head south to face Davidson on Friday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. and Virginia Commonwealth Sunday at 1 p.m., before starting their home play next week.