DAVIDSON, N,C. – Third-seeded VCU won a hard-fought five-set battle over sixth-seeded Fordham Friday afternoon in the 2023 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Championship.
 
VCU (17-12) advances to the semifinals to face second-seeded Loyola Chicago Saturday at 3:30 pm ET/2:30 pm CT.
 
VCU's Anja Kujundzic tallied a match-high 39 digs, which set a new Atlantic 10 Championship record. Offensively, Jasmine Knight and Kialah Jefferson combined for 42 kills, with each hitting collecting 21. Knight also hit .378 and had five blocks and Jefferson had 20 digs for a double-double.
 
 The black and gold Rams secured the fifth set with a quick lead, going up by six on a kill from Jefferson. Fordham (17-12) battled back and closed within three on a kill by Nailah Jenkins and again at 13-10 on a kill form Lauren Arzunga. But VCU then matched points and closed out the quarterfinal win on a kill by Knight.
 
Whitley Moody had a game-high 23 kills and 13 digs for a double-double. Jenkins had a match-high eight blocks and Mallory Lipski recorded 27 digs.
 
VCU took an early lead in the first set, going up six on a block by Knight and Ana Brangioni. But Fordham quickly rallied and tied the game at 13 after forcing an attack error. The teams traded points until Fordham scored six of the final eight points, including three straight kills from Arzuaga, Whitley Moody and Audrey Brown to close out the set.
 
Five straight kills by VCU, four of which came from Jefferson, gave the black and gold a four-point lead early in the second set. VCU stretched that lead as high as 10, and fittingly evened the match score at one set apiece with Jefferson, fittingly, providing the final two kills.
 
The Richmond-based Rams took the lead in set three early and never relinquished it, pacing Fordham wire-to-wire. Fordham got within two a couple of times in the closing points, but Jefferson kills again turned Fordham back and gave VCU a 2-1 lead.
 
A Mackenzie Colvin ace and a Jenkins kill gave the Bronx Rams an early lead in the fourth set, and it was Fordham’s turn to lead the remained of the game. Five straight points that included a pair of Brown kills pushed the lead to eight, and despite a late rally from VCU, Fordham forced a fifth set with a kill by Tatum Holderied.