Empire 8 Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College volleyball team scored numerous accolades from the Empire 8 conference office on Wednesday morning, as the league released its All-Conference teams as voted by the league's head coaches. Headlining the release was the announcement of the conference's individual awards, in which junior outside hitter,
Joelle Goldstein, was named Empire 8 Player of the Year. Goldstein is just the second Ithaca player to ever take home the conference's top honor, as she joins Amanda Hubbard '08, who won the award in 2006.
Six total members of IC volleyball were recognized in the release. Goldstein was the Bombers' lone representative named to the Empire 8 All-Conference First Team. Ithaca placed three players on the All-Conference Second Team in sophomore middles,
Amanda Cerruti and
Katie Evans, as well as second-year libero
Tara Stilwell. Freshman setter,
Caitlyn Floyd, was an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection, while junior setter,
Kayla Gromen, was named IC's representative on the Sportswoman of the Year team.
Although Ithaca's high level of success this season has largely been achieved by a done-by-committee approach, IC would not be where it's at without the efforts of Goldstein. The Kings Park, N.Y., product has been indispensable for the Bombers this season, leading the team in kills (296) and service aces (43), while she sits second in digs (292). She also paces the squad among pin hitters in blocks, tallying seven solo stuffs and 29 block assists.
Beyond her counting stats, Goldstein has been a key leader for an Ithaca outfit that has had to battle through some tough circumstances this season. It has been a memorable year for the junior hitter nonetheless, as she has marked 11 double-double efforts with 10-plus kills and 10-plus assists. She was named Empire 8 Player of the Week twice during the year, while Goldstein also became a member of the Ithaca's 1,000-career kill club earlier this season. Wednesday's announcement marked the second straight year that Goldstein was named a First-Team selection.
The strength of the Bombers has certainly been in its talented middle duo of Cerruti and Evans, who both took home Second-Team honors.
Cerruti has enjoyed a breakout season, seeing her numbers spike across the board from her promising debut in 2015. She topped 200-plus kills for the first time this year, ranking in a tie for third on the team with 203 through the conclusion of the regular season. She also paced the squad among primary hitters, posting a .282 hitting mark, which was good for fifth-best in the conference this season. The West Islip, N.Y., native was also one of the most fearsome net defenders in the league, ranking second in total blocks (111.0), solo blocks (30), and block assists (81). Cerruti posted seven matches with double-digit kills on the year, while she marked at least three blocks in 19 matches during the season. It is the second straight year that the sophomore middle has found herself named in the All-Conference release, as she was an Honorable Mention selection last season.
Evans followed up her Empire 8 Rookie of the Year performance from a season ago with another stellar season in 2016. She ranked second on the team with 205 kills, while her .281 hitting clip was good for sixth-best in the conference this season. Evans was a solid compliment to Cerruti defensively, ranking second on the team with 59.0 total blocks on 16 solos and 43 assists. She posted double-digit kills in five matches on the year, while her consistency was unparalleled as, she hit above .300 in 15 matches during the season.
The Bombers third selection on the conference's Second Team was sophomore transfer
Tara Stilwell. The Centennial, Colo., product made a seamless transition in her first season on South Hill, immediately stepping into the vacant libero position and providing a steadying force for the Bombers. She paced the squad and ranked second in the conference with 520 digs during the regular season, while she also was a strong server with 36 service aces on the year. Stilwell marked 20-plus digs in 13 matches during the year, while amassed at least double digits in all but two matches this season.
Floyd has enjoyed a strong rookie season in earning the Honorable Mention nod from the conference. Her steady play was key as Ithaca transitioned from a 5-1 to a 6-2 rotation at the beginning of the season. She paced the Bombers in assists with 565 during the year, while she also chipped in 65 kills. Floyd topped 20 assists 15 times during the season, while she amassed 30-plus helpers twice in matches against nationally-ranked Carnegie Mellon and Stevens. She was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Week twice during the campaign.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2016 Volleyball Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
On the other end of Ithaca's setting duo, Gromen enjoyed another fine season on South Hill despite seeing her role altered by the new rotation. A consummate team player, the third-year native of Lancaster, Pa., amassed 494 assists on the year and finished third on the team with 168 digs. She marked 20-plus assists in seven matches, which included a season-high 30 in a four-set victory over SUNY Cortland. She currently sits just 36 assists away from tying Sindie Shollenberger '95 for fifth on the program's all-time career assists list.
Ithaca returns to action on Saturday, November 5, when it takes on third-seed Nazareth College in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 Tournament to be played in Hoboken, N.J. The match is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m. With a victory over the Golden Flyers, Ithaca will face the winner of the other semifinal matchup, pitting Stevens against St. John Fisher, in the championship match scheduled for noon on Sunday, November 6.
