Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The Ithaca College volleyball team (4-6) blanked Mount Saint Mary College (N.Y.) (2-7) in straight sets, 3-0 (25-23, 25-13, 25-22), before falling to host New Paltz (7-3), 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-15, 25-22), Friday evening on day one of the 11th Annual Hawks Invitational.

Against the Knights, Ithaca was led by junior Rylie Bean with 12 kills and senior Justine Duryea added nine. Sophomore Carly Garone set for 24 assists and freshman Molly Brown chipped in eight. Sophomore Dylan Gawinski Stern dug out 18 times for the Bombers and Duryea did so nine times.

The first and third sets were nail biters, but the Bombers ran away with the second. In the first frame, action was tied on 10 occasions. MSMC snapped a 13-13 deadlock with five straight, but Ithaca answered down the stretch closing out the first with the last four points. The Bombers built upon an early, second-set gap with six straight to lead by double digits, before polishing off the set, 25-13. The Knights held a slight edge for most of the third, but Ithaca powered its way to a straight-set win late in the match. The game was at a 21-21 stalemate when Ithaca tipped off a 4-1 run to finalize all action in three.

In the day's second match, rookie Shaelynn Schmidt paced the Bomber offense hitting .425 with 19 kills and just two errors on 40 swings. Garone set for 20 assists and Brown eight. Garone and freshman Maggie Mutschler served up a trio of aces each. Defensively, Gawinski Stern dug out 12 times and Bean posted four blocks (1 solo, 3 assists).

Ithaca stole the first away from the Hawks, but New Paltz answered with the next three sets. Trailing 20-16 in the opening game, Ithaca used a 9-3 run on Garone and Gawinski Stern's serves for the first-set victory. The Hawks cracked a 6-6 tie with 10 straight points en route to knotting the series, 1-1. They continued to dominate, opening the third in 7-2 fashion. The Hawks maintained the cushion for a 10-point win, 25-15. New Paltz took a 13-7 lead in the fourth on five straight points and went on to claim an 18-11 gap. Ithaca posted a 7-2 run and looked to force a fifth, tying action at 22. The Hawks denied the Bombers their first five-setter of 2013, scoring the final three points.

Ithaca will face 21st-ranked Salisbury and Old Westbury at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday.