George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
FORDHAM
Volleyball Edged by Fordham, 3-2
11/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 5, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC -- The George Washington volleyball team lost a narrow 3-2 match to visiting Fordham Friday night at Charles E. Smith Center. Fordham won by the scores, 21-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 15-12 in just over two hours. The teams split the season series and GW falls into a tie for fifth place in the league with Fordham at 6-6.
The loss was potentially costly in terms of the Colonials' postseason aspirations as it put more pressure on GW to win at least one of its remaining three matches in order to secure a berth in the Conference tournament. It won't be easy. GW must travel to Duquesne and Saint Louis before hosting second-place Xavier on Senior Day at Smith Center. All three teams sit above the Colonials in the standings and GW has already lost to Duquesne (3-2 at home) and at Xavier (3-0 in Cincinnati). The Colonials defeated Saint Louis, 3-1, on Oct. 3 at Smith Center. Only the top six teams qualify for the conference championship tournament, Nov. 19-21, at Xavier's Cintas Center.
Friday's loss was the Colonials' fifth straight and closely resembled the first meeting in the Bronx when GW prevailed in its closest match of the season.
GW's Lauren Whyte led all players with 21 kills, a pair of aces and two blocks for 24.5 points. Senior Katie Zulandt was the only other Colonial in double-figure kills with 10 and added six block assists for 13 points. As a team, GW managed to hit just .172 (57k-30e-157att) while the Rams combined to hit .273 (61-20-150). GW won the battle at the net with 11 total blocks to nine for Fordham. The Colonials served nine aces but cancelled out those points with nine service micues.
GW freshman Rachael Goss added eight kills and 11 digs before suffering a cut on her finger late in the match. Alex Coward also had eight kills and assisted on four blocks.
Fordham (16-15, 6-6 A-10) was led by Brittany Dalton's 18 kills for 20.5 points while hitting .325. Kailee May also added 18 kills for 19 points and Katie Wells hit .600 on 10 kills in 15 swings for 12 points.
After the teams traded victories through the first four sets, the fifth set started well for the Colonials. Feeding off three Rams errors, GW was staked to at 5-2 lead to begin the fifth set. Fordham rallied to knot the set at 7-7 on a GW attack error and again at 8-8 on a kill by Katie Wells. After the teams switched sides, the Colonials fell behind on an attack error but a kill by MacKenzie Knox evened the set at 9-9. A Christie Griffiths' kill gave Fordham a 10-9 lead that it did not relinquish. The Colonials got to within one at 13-12 on a kill from Whyte but a GW attack error followed by a Ram block ended that match at 15-12.
GW next travels to Pittsburgh Sunday to face surprising Duquesne (20-7, 8-3 A-10) in a 1 p.m. match at the Palumbo Center. In their previous meeting this season, GW fell to the Dukes in five sets on Oct. 1 at Smith Center.
Free live statistical updates of Sunday's GW-Duquesne match are available by going to www.GWsports.com and clicking on the Gametracker link on the volleyball schedule.
