Charlotte volleyball heads back to the road for week two of Atlantic 10 Conference play this weekend, with a road trip to the Northeast. The 49ers will play a pair of Rams teams, starting at Fordham Friday night at 7 p.m. ahead of a Sunday afternoon match at Rhode Island at 1 p.m. The 49ers are 8-6, but stumbled to an 0-2 A-10 start with losses at George Washington and Duquesne. Both Rams teams are 1-1, beating La Salle and losing to Temple last weekend.

The 49ers rank third in the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.161), assists per set (12.36) and kills per set (13.06) through the first five weeks of the season. The 49ers have faced the second-lowest kills per set and the fewest assists per set of any team in the league to this point.

In Sunday's loss at Duquesne, the 49ers were led in kills by freshmen Mireya Braxton (Charlotte, N.C. / Providence HS) and Carly Ochs (Town and Country, Mo. / St. Joseph's Academy). It was the first time all season that someone other than the team's co-captains, senior Bianca Rouse (Columbia, S.C. / Keenan HS) and junior Amanda Videmsek (Highland Heights, Ohio / Beaumont School) led the team in kills. Videmsek and junior Chrissy Drake (Greer, S.C. / Riverside HS) are the only players on the squad to play in all 50 sets to this point of the season.

The Sunday match was also the first time this season that freshman Michelle Hovey (Raleigh, N.C. / Lighthouse) led the team in digs.

Charlotte is 6-7 in the all-time series against Fordham, with Charlotte winning both meetings last season. The 49ers had lost their first six meetings in the Bronx before ending that streak last season, with a five-set win in the second-to-last match of the year.

The 49ers own a 6-3 advantage in the URI series. Charlotte has won four of the previous meetings between the two teams. Each team lost on their home floor in the pair of meetings last year after Charlotte swept the two matches in 2010 and won the only meeting between the two in 2009.

Following this road swing, the 49ers will play their next five matches, all in conference, at home in Halton Arena.  That home stand starts with a Saturday night tilt with new conference member VCU at 7 p.m. That match is Free Youth Night, with all youth ages 17 and under getting in free. For tickets, please contact the 49er Ticket Office at (704) 687-4949.