After stumbling out of the gate, the Fordham volleyball team has found its footing as of late. The team has finally righted the ship since opening with six consecutive losses, winning the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pa. in impressive fashion.

While the overall record sitting at 8-9 isn’t going to blow anyone away, the team’s current four-game winning streak has gone a long way toward bringing them back in the competitive mix of things. More than that, the Rams have won seven of their last nine games. Their tournament wins came by way of two three-set sweeps and a four-set victory, with one of the sweeps being against the host Bucknell Bison.

In the first match against Bucknell, outside hitter Brennan Delsing, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’16, led the charge with 15 kills and a .636 hitting percentage, as the Rams won in three sets by scores of 28-26, 25-22 and 25-9. After two tough, close sets, the Rams dominated the third, opening up with an 8-0 run and holding the Bison to single-digits.

The second match saw the Rams take on the Providence Friars. This winning effort was spearheaded by middle hitter Randi Ewing, FCRH ’13, who contributed 12 kills and a stellar .688 hitting percentage on the way to winning 25-16, 27-25, and 25-16. The middle set was the challenge for Fordham, with the Rams needing to come back from 23-19, eventually winning the set on consecutive kills from Delsing and Lisa Hipp, FCRH ’14.

Match three, the only non-sweep of the tournament for Fordham, was still an extremely impressive outing. Fordham held the Quinnipiac Bobcats to a -.078 hitting percentage, as the team defense racked up 11 blocks in the match. The last of the three tournament matches saw the Rams win the first, second and fourth sets by scores of 25-13, 25-14 and 25-8 again closing out a match in dominant form. Delsing brought more tournament magic to the win, adding another 12 kills. For their efforts in the tournament, both Delsing and Ewing were named to the All-Tournament team.

With in-conference games coming soon against volleyball powerhouses Virginia Commonwealth University and Temple University, currently sporting 12-1 and 10-4 records respectively, it’s tough to say that Fordham hasn’t picked the right moment to get hot. Skepticism and fear that once stemmed from the team’s abysmal start has been replaced by optimism and hope.

As the team still has all 14 conference games remaining and some quality wins under their belt, the Rams can stand confident that they can be competitive, no matter the opponent. This team looks to continue riding the dominance and leadership of senior players like Ewing, as well as the young talent and strong performance of the freshman Delsing and hopefully will go deep into the A-10 playoffs in mid November.