HACKENSACK, N.J. ­– The Lafayette volleyball team won its first match of a Friday doubleheader against Fordham (25-23, 26-24, 25-22, 25-21, 15-13). Sophomore outside hitter Emma Patmon finished the contest with 15 kills and eight digs in the win.

Both teams were evenly matched in the early going, splitting the first 18 points. The Rams then went on a six-point run, courtesy of two aces and two kills by Whitley Moody and a pair of kills by Audrey Brown. The Leopards trailed 17-12 before junior outside hitter Carol Ulichney recorded three consecutive kills to bring Lafayette within two points (17-15). Brown and Sophia Kuyn led Fordham's offense down the stretch, taking a narrow 25-23 victory in the first set.

The second set was a 50-point thriller and Lafayette led 7-4 to get things going. The Leopards later led 14-8 before a four-point scoring spurt by Fordham, thanks to kills by Brown (2) and Moody (1). Kills by Ulichney and Patmon kept the Rams at bay, but Fordham got their offense clicking later in the set. Lafayette led 24-20 prior to Fordham scoring six-straight points, claiming the second set 26-24.  

The Leopards battled to a 25-22 victory in the third set.  The Rams jumped out to an early 10-7 lead, forcing head coach Christian Kiselica to call a timeout. The score was 13-10 before Lafayette tied the game at 14 apiece, after some Fordham attack errors and kills from senior Abby Nieporte and junior Abby Nicholson. Lafayette trailed 20-17 later in the set, but tied it up (20-20) after more errors by the Rams and a kill by freshman Paige Chmura. Nieporte completed the comeback with a kill assisted by sophomore Irelynd Lorenzen.

The Maroon and White recorded three service aces on their way to a fourth set victory (25-21). The Rams recorded four more attack errors (9-5) than the Leopards, which proved to be crucial down the wire. Nicholson led the offense with three kills and was involved in two blocks.

Lafayette grabbed a 4-0 lead to get the fifth set started with a kill by Patmon and an ace by Lorenzen. Fordham trailed 10-7 before it went on a four-point run, but Lafayette regained a 13-12 lead thanks to more Fordham attack errors. The Leopards went on to capture their fifth win of the season (5-2).

Lafayette is back in action at 5 p.m. on Friday to face FDU.
 

To keep up with the Lafayette volleyball team, follow its social media pages.

X/@LafColVBall | Instagram/@lafayette_vb | Facebook/GoLeopards