ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca volleyball team (9-11) surged from a two-set deficit and forced visiting 18th-ranked Cortland (22-1) to five sets, but the Red Dragons pulled out a 3-2 (28-26, 25-17, 22-25, 23-25, 15-12) victory on Wednesday evening at Ben Light Gymnasium.

Senior Chelsea Hayes (Northern Valley Regional/Haworth, N.J.) was one of four to post double-doubles for the Bombers as she tallied a career- and match-high 22 kills and a team-best 15 digs.

Trailing 2-0, the Bombers forced the nationally-ranked Red Dragons to five sets after winning the third and fourth.

The first set bounced back-and-forth but ended in the visitor's favor, 28-26. Tied on 17 occasions, the first frame set a competitive tone for the remainder of the match. After an 18-18 deadlock, Cortland took a 22-19 lead, but Ithaca battled from behind to knot the action three more times. Cortland snapped the 26-26 tie with a kill and a Bomber attack error to claim the first.

The Red Dragons secured an early 6-2 advantage which they improved upon to implement a 14-6 gap in the second. The Bombers crept within three, 17-14, but Cortland put the second away on an 8-3 run to take a 2-0 series lead.

The Red Dragons again took an early lead in the third stanza, 8-4. They maintained their advantage and managed a 13-8 lead before the Bombers took four consecutive to tie the third at 14-14. The set was deadlocked five more times, lastly at 22-22. Ithaca brought the series to 2-1 with a Hayes kill, a Karin Edsall (Cornwall Central/Cornwall) service ace and an Elizabeth Previte (Hunterdon Central/Flemington, N.J.) kill.

Ithaca went on to win the fourth set. An early 5-5 tie was snapped with four unanswered Bomber points as Ithaca claimed a lead they would never surrender. Following a steady 19-14 Bomber lead, Cortland fought to tie the action at 22-22, but Ithaca secured three of the final four points to take the game.

Ithaca opened the fifth set with three straight points, but the Red Dragons scored four of the next five to make it a 4-4 game. With the teams going point-for-point, Cortland took two straight for a 9-7 edge, but Ithaca forced yet another deadlock, 10-10, on a Hayes kill off an Edsall set. Cortland snagged the next two points, but Ithaca responded with two of its own for another tie. Three consecutive Red Dragon points would finalize the fifth-and-final set and the match.

Edsall put up a career-high 56 assists and added 13 digs for the Blue & Gold, while senior Kate Thoene (Voorhees/High Bridge, N.J.) tallied 16 kills and a career-best 10 blocks (four solo, six assists). Classmate Jessica Hoeffner (Hauppauge/Hauppauge) had the Bombers' fourth double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs.

The Bombers next travel to Williamsport, Pa. for the Lycoming Tip-Off Classic beginning on Friday, Oct. 7.

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