ITHACA, N.Y.—Ithaca continued its Bomber Invitational winning streak Saturday afternoon, defeating Geneseo (6-3) in four sets 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-19. The Bombers (5-4) are now 3-0 in the tournament, and can guarantee a berth in the championship match by beating Rutgers-Newark at 3 p.m.

Having already lost the opening set, the Bombers were down 20-18 late in the second. A kill from senior Rachel Busch (Hoover/North Canton, Ohio) and a pair of Blue Knight errors gave Ithaca the lead at 21-20, but Geneseo rallied to retie the score at 22. Freshman Stephanie Lavallato (Hunterdon/Flemington, N.J.) broke the tie with a kill and, after an attack error from each team, won the set on another.

Lavallato led all players with 16 kills.

In the third set, the two teams played to an 11-11 tie to open play. With sophomore Tina Orlandini (Flintridge Sacred Haart/Altadena, Calif.) serving, the Bombers notched five straight points to take a 16-11 lead. An 8-3 Geneseo run tied the score at 19, and the teams also played to ties at 20 and 21. Ithaca took the lead for good on a pair of Blue Knight attack errors, and won the set on an ace from Orlandini.

Ithaca did not trail in the fourth set after an early 1-1 tie. A kill and an ace from Lavallato sparked a 6-1 run that gave the Bombers a 7-2 lead. Geneseo got within two points of Ithaca three times, but could get no closer, with Ithaca closing the match on an 11-7 run.

Busch tallied 10 kills in the win, the fifth time in six matches she has reached double figures. Defensively,  Orlandini had a team-leading 23 digs.

Box Score