Alfred Box Score | Stevens Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Ithaca (19-11, 7-1 Empire 8) volleyball team rolled past a pair of conference opponents on Saturday at the second Empire 8 Crossover to claim the 2010 Empire 8 regular-season title. Ithaca blanked Alfred (6-19, 1-6 Empire 8), 3-0 (25-11, 25-9, 25-16), before snapping Stevens' 15-match win streak by claiming a crucial, 3-1 (27-5, 5-3 Empire 8) victory at Ben Light Gymnasium.

Ithaca's victory over Stevens knocked the three-time defending conference champion Ducks out of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament field.

Having claimed the number-one seed, the Bombers will host the 2010 Empire 8 volleyball tournament on Friday, Nov. 5. Vying for its fourth Empire 8 title, Ithaca will be accompanied in the post-season bracket by second seeded Nazareth, third seeded Elmira and fourth seeded RIT.

In a match where the entire Ithaca lineup saw action, the Bombers led the play the entire way over Alfred. Twice the Saxons were able to knot play, but Ithaca was too much for the visiting squad as it tallied its third consecutive 3-0 shutout and its ninth of the year.

The first set featured a 6-1 opening run and a seven unanswered from Ithaca to secure a 25-11 win for an early 1-0 lead.

The second frame looked much like the first as it opened in Ithaca's favor, 9-2. The Bombers maintained the cushion and recorded eight of the final nine points to put away the second set, 25-9.

The third and final stanza was highlighted by a 13-3 opening run. Ithaca held a 23-10 gap and notched a pair of points to claim the third game, 25-15, despite the Saxons tallying six of the final eight points to cut the deficit to a single-digit difference.

The Bombers were led by juniors Karin Edsall (Cornwall Central/Cornwall) and Jessica Hoeffner (Hauppauge/Hauppauge) with a match-high 10 kills each and hitting percentages of .588 and .364, respectively.

Freshman Sydney Folk (Long Beach/Long Beach) helped their efforts with a team-high 16 assists, while sophomore Marissa Woodcome (Pittsford Sutherland/Pittsford) added 10 for the Blue & Gold.

In the second match, the Bombers trailed the first set, 22-19, before outscoring the Ducks, 7-2, down the stretch for a 26-24 first-set victory.

Stevens rebounded in the second stanza pulling ahead 17-10 following a 10-10 deadlock and maintained the advantage to claim the second set, 25-17, to knot the series at 1-1.

The third frame featured nine tied scores and four lead changes. Trailing 12-11, the Bombers used seven unanswered points to gain a 17-12 advantage. The Ducks worked their way back within a pair of points, but Ithaca held-off their attack as the Bombers recorded six of the final eight points to take the third, 25-19.

The Bombers forced Stevens out of playoff contention as they finalized the match, 3-1, with a commanding 25-13 fourth-set. The set was at a 5-5 stalemate before a Stevens service error put the Bombers ahead for good. Ithaca took a 12-7 lead helped by five Hoeffner kills to force a Stevens timeout. Ithaca went on to outscore the Ducks, 13-6, and claim the set and match. Three Stevens errors and another Hoeffner kill iced the match as the Bombers celebrated the regular-season title.

Hoeffner led the match with 17 kills while juniors Chelsea Hayes (Northern Valley Regional/Haworth, N.J.) and Kate Thoene (Voorhees/High Bridge, N.J.) added 11. Woodcome and Folk again split setting duties, dishing out 22 and 15 assists, respectively.

Hayes tallied a team-high 13 digs for the Blue & Gold, while senior Taylor Horton (Lakeridge/Lake Oswego, Ore.) added double-digits with 10.

Thoene also contributed four blocks (four assists) for Ithaca.

Ithaca will return to action on Friday, Oct. 29 at the Skidmore Classic when they face New Paltz for the third time this season at 6 p.m.