Oneonta, N.Y.--Ithaca (10-7, 1-0 Empire 8) opened the first Empire 8 Crossover with a 25-21, 25-17, 23-25, 25-16 win over Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday. Sophomore Chelsea Hayes (Northern Valley Regional/Haworth, N.J.) picked up 17 kills against the Tigers (11-7), one off her career high.

Ithaca took early control of the fourth set, scoring seven of the first nine points. Hayes picked up a pair of kills in the run, and the Bombers forced three straight RIT attack errors. A pair of Tiger kills pulled the score within three at 7-4, but another Bomber put the match out of reach at 19-12.

Senior Rachel Busch (Hoover/North Canton, Ohio) hit .800 four kills in five attempts in the fourth set, and totaled seven kills in the match. Sophomore Kate Thoene (Voorhees/High Bridge, N.J.) registered 11 kills in the win.

The Bombers never trailed in the first set after they tied the score at one, but did not hold a lead of more than three points until the final score of the set.

The two team played close to open the second set, before a 10-1 Ithaca run turned a one point deficit into an eight-point lead at 18-10. The Bombers scored six straight points with sophomore Elizabeth Previte (Hunterdon, Flemington, N.J.) serving. RIT had a run of its own, reducing the margin to three points at 18-15, before kills from Hayes and Thoene started a 7-2 Ithaca run that closed the set.

RIT scored the first five points of the fourth set, and stormed out to a 17-8 lead. Ithaca rallied, and pulled the score to 20-19 on a block from Previte and Busch that capped a 9-3 run. The Bombers twice more pulled the score within one, but the Tigers took the third set on an attack error.

The Bombers return to action at 7:30 p.m. against St. John Fisher.

Box Score