By Andrea Garcia
Kristin Ostach and Olivia Fairchild have been linchpins for the Rams this season. (Courtesy of Fordham Athletics)
Women’s volleyball traveled down to Washington D.C. to continue Atlantic 10 play against the George Washington Colonials, before continuing on later in the week at George Mason.
The Rams swept George Washington in a three-set match, though each set was tightly contested. The Colonials shocked the home court with an early five-point run in the opening set, pushing quickly to a 5-1 lead. The Rams slowly caught up to even the score at 9-9. The score remained tight until George Washington held a promising advantage at 24-22, but a kill from freshman Olivia Fairchild brought a Fordham win back in sight. After tying at 25-25, a Colonials error and a kill from senior Kristen Ostach finished the first set in Fordham’s favor.
George Washington bounced back into a shorter early lead in the second set and extended its lead with a four-point run, bringing them the score to 8-3. Both sides of the net equaled their opponents’ advancements, and the Colonials held onto their lead until the Rams took the lead off a six-point run, featuring three aces from Loren Williams: a kill and two home hitting errors. With George Washington trailing by just a few points, Fordham never let go of its lead, and closed its second set, 25-22.
The third and final set started off with both sides of the net siding out, until Fordham broke the pattern with two kills and a Colonial carry. The Rams kept this lead to their 25th point, sweeping the Colonials with a final 25-23 set.
The Rams brought their momentum to Fairfax, Virginia against the George Mason Patriots. The hosts made a showing in the first set with a seven-point lead, keeping the Rams on their toes through the first set. George Mason downed Fordham, 25-17.
After changing sides for the second set, the Rams switched gears to secure an early lead over the Patriots. Fordham kept this lead until George Mason evened the score at the 16-point mark. George Mason rallied to go up 23-22, needing just two plays for a solid win. However they only struck one outside kill to bring them up to a 24th point. Fordham sided out of a George Mason error to make it 24-23. In a combined effort with freshman Kaitlin Morley and Ostach at the net, the Rams pressed three more kills, 26-24, to claim the second set win.
The beginning of the third set looked much like the second. Fordham finally took a lead out from George Mason at the 11-9 point. The Rams kept this lead due to seven successful touches from the hitting line and five Patriot net errors. Fordham pulled through a second winning set, 25-17.
Opening with a strong kill from Fairchild, the Rams kept the energy high for the fourth set. Fordham took a quick three-point run, 5-2, to edge out George Mason early on. At the 7-4 mark, the visitors extended their lead by five points, holding out at triple George Mason’s standing score, 12-4. George Mason finally sided out, but Fordham reclaimed the ball and in the next rotation, took on another five-point run with three Fairchild kills. While a Fordham win was inevitable, the Patriots were able to pull a four-point run at the 20-9 mark, bringing them into double-digit territory, 20-13. While the home team was able to close the gap with a series of Fordham errors, the Rams continued to dominate the court, finishing the fourth and final set, 25-19.
The Rams will stay home this weekend to host the Saint Louis Billikens on Friday night and the Dayton Flyers on Saturday night in the Rose Hill Gymnasium.
The Fordham Ram 
