Box Score

HOBOKEN, N.J. – The Ithaca College volleyball team (16-22) fell in straight sets, 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-12), to host Stevens Institute of Technology (27-6) Saturday afternoon in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. Freshman All-Empire 8 second-team selection Shaelynn Schmidt was named to the all-tournament team.

Stevens hit .325 for the match and led the kills category, 37-21.

Playing in their third tournament in four years, the Bombers got themselves into an early 6-1 deficit, but battled back to knot the first at 15. Leading 17-16, the Ducks used an 8-0 run to win the first, 25-16.

The second was deadlocked five times. The Bombers claimed their lone lead of the set with a 7-5 edge on an Abbie Hutchinson kill, but the Ducks went on to secure a 14-9 advantage. Like the first, Ithaca surged to tie the game at 16 and lastly at 19-all. Stevens powered to a 25-20 second-set win with a 6-1 streak down the stretch.

The Ducks maintained control of the match in the third, taking the set, 25-12. An 8-1 run opened action for Stevens. Ithaca cut within two, 11-9, but the Ducks earned a spot in the title match with a 14-3 run that ended the match in straight sets.

Schmidt led Ithaca with seven kills. Classmate Molly Brown set for 11 assists. Hutchinson and senior Justine Duryea each served up a pair of aces. Defensively, sophomore Dylan Gawinski Stern dug seven balls and rookie Breanne Tuohy led the Bombers with four block assists.

The loss concludes Ithaca's 2013 season.