Skidmore Box Score | Potsdam Box Score

Schenectady, N.Y. -- The Ithaca (11-9) volleyball team got off to a slow start Friday night and ultimately fell to Skidmore (12-3) in four sets, 3-1 (25-16, 27-25, 22-25, 25-21), in the opening match of the Interleague Challenge hosted by Union. But the Bombers rebounded with a solid three set blanking, 3-0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-16), of Potsdam (6-15) to head into day two of competition.

In the first match, the Thoroughbreds opened play in commanding fashion, taking the first set 25-16. Despite being tied on six occasions, Ithaca only twice controlled the score. Following an 8-8 stalemate, Skidmore outscored the Bombers, 17-8, to lead the series, 1-0.

The second stanza featured a 12-8 Skidmore advantage, but Ithaca surged to knot the set at 12. The Thoroughbreds continued to pull away from Ithaca, but the Bombers persisted to make up ground. The match was later tied seven times, but it was an Ithaca ball-handling error that allowed Skidmore to hold serve and tally two consecutive points for the 27-25 victory.

Ithaca fell behind early in the third set, 6-3, before tying the game at 6-6; one of 10 times the game was locked up. Following a 17-17 score, Ithaca managed an 8-5 run to take the third stint, 25-22.

The fourth and final set resembled much of the earlier sets. The action was knotted on several occasions, and the Thoroughbreds finalized the match on a 4-1 run to win the fourth, 25-21.

Junior Jessica Hoeffner (Hauppauge/ Hauppauge) led the offensive effort with 13 kills and junior Chelsea Hayes (Northern Valley Regional/Haworth, N.J.) contributed 11, backed by a team-leading 33 assists from freshman Sydney Folk (Long Beach/Long Beach).

Defensively, the Bombers had four players with double-digit digs as senior Taylor Horton (Lakeridge/Lake Oswego, Ore.) led the squad with 16. Folk, sophomore Marissa Woodcome (Pittsford-Sutherland/Pittsford) and senior Tina Orlandini (Flintridge Sacred Heart/Altadena, Calif.) each added 13.

Junior Kate Thoene (Voorhees/High Bridge, N.J.) was a force to reckon with at the net, putting away five blocks (two solo, three assists) for the Blue & Gold.

In match two of the night, Potsdam kept the score close in the first set, but Ithaca used a late 6-0 run on Horton's serve to pull ahead 23-17 before securing the first set, 25-19.

Set two featured five unanswered points as Woodcome tallied one of the matches' 11 aces, to lead 13-7. The Bombers maintained the cushion to record a 25-16 second-set triumph for a 2-0 lead in the series.

The third and final set of the night was highlighted by a 9-1 opening run on behalf of the Bombers, but Potsdam brought the set within four, 9-5, before Ithaca went on to solidify a double-digit, 16-6, advantage. Again the Bears surged to bring the game within two, 17-15, but Ithaca responded to outscore the opponent, 8-2, to earn its sixth 3-0 win of the 2010 campaign.

Thoene and junior Karin Edsall (Cornwall Central/Cornwall) each recorded nine kills to lead the Bombers, while Woodcome dished out 22 assists. Thoene recorded a .350 hitting percentage during the action.

Orlandini and Hoeffner defended the Bomber's lead with 15 and 10 digs, respectively, and Thoene again spearheaded Ithaca's blocking efforts with four (one solo, three assists).

Ithaca will face Oneonta at 10 a.m. before taking on host Union in a 2 p.m. match on Sunday, Oct. 9. The Bombers previously defeated Oneonta, 3-0, on Sept. 10 at the Bomber Invitational.