Jenny Allen, Staff Writer
Men’s basketball at Fordham University
The neck-and-neck game ended in VCU’s favor with a 63-59 win. Third-year forward Lazar Djokovic tallied a total of 17 points. He recorded 11 of his 17 points in the second half only, giving the Rams much-needed momentum towards the end of the game. VCU held Fordham throughout the whole game, never giving it the opportunity to take the lead. However, Fordham managed to keep VCU on its toes as it made the score 61-59 in the remaining 33 seconds. After the clutch points from Fordham, Djokovic was able to keep his composure and knock down both free throws after he drew a foul. This victory marks VCU’s season-high of six straight wins.
Women’s tennis vs. Morgan State University
VCU defeated Morgan State 7-0 in a doubles and singles clean sweep. Doubles began almost flawlessly with VCU’s second-year Sara Alba and first-year Viktoria Lackova taking a 6-0 victory. The remaining two double matches were tightly played leaving with one victory and one unfinished. In the singles matches, third-year transfer Elicia Kim won in her debut as a Ram with a 6-2 victory. Third-year Mariam Ibrahim followed with a close win after she bounced back in the final two sets. Lackova and second-year Sofia Jane Thorne continued the tight games but recorded victories. The last two single matches were played by Alba and second-year Andrea Magallanes, where they locked in the Rams’ 7-0 team victory.
Men’s tennis vs. University of Richmond
The Rams held their ground in the crosstown rivalry defeating the Spiders 5-2. The match marked the 17th official meeting between these two since 2011, of which VCU has claimed every win. Three doubles matches took place resulting in two victories for the Rams and one unfinished match. Six hard fought single matches were played and filled with intense sets as tiebreakers were a popular occurrence. Rams second-year players, Nicolo Consonni, Erwann Bouchet, Gevorg Mnatsakanyan and Kostiantyn Mantach all walked away with wins. Mantach’s win marked his first victory of the season after taking control during the tiebreakers. Consonni secured VCU’s win, allowing it to carry out the annual winning streak.
Men’s basketball vs. University of Dayton
At the home sellout game, redshirt fourth-year guard Jadrian Tracey recorded his career-high with 26 points in the win over Dayton. The Rams started off quick and strong in hopes to extend their winning streak to seven. VCU tallied four blocks within the opening 10 minutes, with three from Djokovic. The Rams 26-point win marked their largest margin of victory in Atlantic-10 play this season as they shined on both ends of the court. Second-year guard Brandon Jennings recorded a season high of five steals helping pave the way to the Rams blowout. Third-year forward Michael Belle led the team with eight rebounds and three offensive boards. Belle also contributed eight points and two blocks.
Women’s tennis at Marshall University
The first road trip of the Rams season ended in an unfortunate loss, 6-1, ending their three-match winning streak. The three doubles matches began in VCU’s favor, however the following sets left the Rams behind. VCU’s Alba and Lackova competed in an hour-long doubles match that found its way into a tiebreaker. Despite the long fight, the duo ultimately fell short to Marshall’s duo. VCU’s third-year Elicia Kim was the only Ram to walk away with a singles win. Kim began her match strong and carried the back-and-forth match all the way to a tiebreaker where she ended up securing her victory.
Women’s basketball at Loyola University Chicago
Despite the slow start to the Rams play, their first half spurt shot them ahead easily. VCU was down 6-0 with seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, however it then began a 20-3 run that spanned into the second quarter. The Rams held a strong lead of 20-11 before they lost their groove. Loyola took advantage and outscored VCU 14-7, cutting the score down to 29-25 at half. The game was back-and-forth in the third quarter as both teams fought to take the final lead. In the remaining minutes of the game, VCU led 49-45 but Loyola took off to snatch a 61-51 lead with less than two minutes to play. The Ramblers late run led them to a 66-55 victory.