BRONX, N.Y. — Saint Louis University closed with a 15-5 fifth set to beat Fordham 3-2 Friday night at Rose Hill Gym, bringing the Billikens back to .500 in Atlantic 10 volleyball play.
SLU won 25-21, 17-25, 25-13, 21-25, 15-5 to improve to 9-10 overall and 4-4 in the conference. Fordham fell to 9-12 and 3-5.
Kayla Jansen led Saint Louis with a career-high 12 kills, a .500 hitting percentage and seven blocks, according to the university’s game report. Tea Kalajdzic added 11 kills and six blocks.
Setter Jetta Brenning finished with 39 assists, 10 digs and four service aces. J’La Sparks contributed eight kills and six blocks as SLU totaled 13 aces and 13 blocks.
The match swung back and forth through four sets. Saint Louis took a 2-1 lead with a decisive third set, but Fordham answered in the fourth to force the tiebreaker.
In the fifth, the Billikens moved ahead 5-1 and extended the margin to 9-2. Jansen and Kalajdzic combined on the block that ended the match.
The teams meet again Saturday at 1 p.m. Central. Fordham’s published schedule lists the start as 2 p.m. Eastern at Rose Hill Gym, with live statistics available through the host’s athletics website.
Sources: Saint Louis match report; Fordham official box score; Fordham weekend schedule and coverage.
