Nov. 17, 2006

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DAYTON, Ohio - In a meeting between two schools making their inaugural trip to the Atlantic 10 Volleyball Championships Saint Louis swept Fordham, 3-0 (30-23, 30-25, 30-25) on Friday at the 25th Annual A-10 Championships at the University of Dayton's Frericks Center.

With the win, the third-seeded Billikens (20-8) advance to Saturday's semifinals to meet second-seed Temple (16-13) at 5 p.m. ET. Fordham ended its best season since 1991 with an overall record of 21-15.

SLU was paced by a double-double of 15 kills and 11 digs from A-10 Rookie of the Year Sammi McCloud. McCloud added three service aces and three blocks for the Billikens, which out hit the Rams .213 to .167 overall.

"I was proud of how we played in out first tournament match in two years (since joining the A-10 in 2005)," A-10 Coach of the Year Anne Kordes said. "It was a good win over a Fordham team that was on a roll and had a seven-match winning streak. Sammi (McCloud) did a great job for us and carried our offense."

A-10 First Team pick Tatyana Menshikova hit .379 with 13 kills while A-10 All-Rookie selection Whitney Behrens became the all-time single-season leader in digs at SLU with 17 on the night.

Fordham was led by 11 kills from A-10 Second Team pick Jamee Stimson while A-10 Honorable Mention selection Kealia Ieremia added 29 assists.

Freshman Jolanda Gunning-Snowden hit .368 with nine kills for the Rams in a tightly played match that featured 21 tied scores and nine lead changes.