By Andrea Garcia
Olivia Fairchild (L, 16) and Elise Benjamin (R, 10) go up for a block. (Andrea Garcia/The Fordham Ram)
After starting October with a win against A-10 foe George Mason, Women’s Volleyball is ending the month on a seven-game losing streak against their conference rivals. The Rams accepted two more sweeps on the road from VCU and Davidson over the weekend.
The VCU Rams heated up the court with an opening six point lead, with two kills and four Fordham errors. Fordham sided out and opened up their box score with three consecutive errors from VCU. This gap held until the 10-8 mark, before VCU jumped on another 12 straight points. Fordham’s offense struggled to keep composure and added eight error points to the VCU’s tally, bringing them securely to a 22-6 lead. The hosts’ inevitable win was secured at a 25-9 set point.
Fordham tried to reestablish its court presence in the second and third sets. The score remained balanced until VCU reached another attacking stride. VCU’s second set score bounced up 10 points to 17-6 from a combination of Fordham attack errors and VCU aces. Fordham called back with a three point run of its own, followed by three VCU points to regain its easy lead. This sustained advantage held to the end of VCU’s second winning set, 25-17. The hosts kept putting the pressure on Fordham in the third set with an early four point lead. The box crept up to 24-13 in favor of VCU. With a game point glaring at them from the other side of the net, Fordham sided out and rallied for eight straight points. Fordham valiantly postponed VCU’s final winning set, 25-21.
Later that weekend, the Rams were also swept in a three-set faceoff with the Davidson Wildcats. The three sets were characterized by tighter box scores than in previous games. In the first set, both teams were able to match their opponents short-lived runs. The score remained even on both sides of the net until Fordham’s offense lost its swing at the 14-13 box. The Rams gave up four attack errors and failed to communicate on a serve to give Davidson a needed 20-13 leg up. The Wildcats kept their lead to close out the first set, 25-19.
The second series fell to the same rhythm, with the hosts gaining a six point lead mid-set, which eventually grew to 18-9 due to three consecutive aces from their freshman defensive specialist. The second set concluded at 25-14.
The third set gave a glimpse of hope to the Rams, who jumped up to a three point opening lead. However, the Wildcats quickly caught up to even out the court. The score ran up to an even 15-15, after teams kept siding each other out and rotated twice through their respective lineups. At this point, Fordham made a promising four point offensive front. Two rotations followed, and Davidson answered with a five point bump of its own, largely from Fordham lifts and hitting errors. For the second time in the third set, the score evened out to 22-22, and the teams found themselves surpassing the 25-25 point mark. Fordham, fighting for the finish, sided out with a cross-court kill from freshman Kaitlin Morley, but failed to follow it up for the winning two-point lead. Three consecutive hitting errors, two from Morley and one from fellow freshman Olivia Fairchild, respectively, gave Davidson their third and final winning set.
The Rams now stand at 10-16 overall and 3-8 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. More than a month removed from their last winning match, the Rams are hungry for wins this Friday, Nov. 4 at noon against the George Mason Patriots and the following Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. against the George Washington Colonials.
The Fordham Ram 
