Williamsport, Pa. – The Ithaca volleyball team (11-11) tallied back-to-back straight-set victories as it took host Lycoming (9-8), 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-8), before claiming a 3-0 (25-8, 25-13, 25-10) win over McDaniel (0-17) on Friday night at Lycoming's Tip-Off Classic. The Bombers will face Misericordia at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Ithaca struggled in the first before taking shape in the second and dominating in the third to claim its eighth 3-0 victory of the season.

The Warriors held an early advantage in the first frame before the Bombers improved upon a 12-9 deficit with five consecutive to take the lead indefinitely. Lycoming brought the match within two, 23-21, but Ithaca capitalized on a Lycoming service error and a Jessica Hoeffner (Hauppauge/Hauppauge) kill to take the first, 25-21.

Ithaca took a 5-1 lead in the second before junior Marissa Woodcome's (Pittsford Sutherland/Pittsford) serve lifted the Bombers to a 16-6 double-digit lead. Ithaca went on to secure the second, 25-17.

The Bombers opened the third-and-final set with a Kate Thoene (Voorhees/High Bridge, N.J.) kill before Chelsea Hayes' (Northern Valley Regional/Haworth, N.J.) serve helped Ithaca to a commanding 12-0 cushion. The Warriors answered with three straight, but Ithaca controlled the action to finalize the third, 25-8.

Hoeffner put away a match-high 14 kills as Thoene added 12 for a hitting percentage of .688. Senior Karin Edsall (Cornwall Central/Cornwall) put up 30 assists during the action and dug out nine times. Hayes had three aces for the Blue & Gold, while three Bombers put up three blocks apiece.

Ithaca maintained its composure into the second match, blanking the Green Terror, 3-0, as the Bombers played each of its 14 players. Ithaca served up 23 aces during the match. Sophomore Justine Duryea (Cornwall Central/Cornwall-on-Hudson) had a career- and match-high six, while classmate Syline Kim (Beverly Hills/Fullerton, Calif.) added a career-best five and freshman Brittany Pietrzykowski (Canandaigua/Canandaigua) and senior Elizabeth Previte (Hunterdon Central/Flemington, N.J.) four.

The teams were knotted at 3-3 early in the first before Ithaca made a 13-2 run to secure a double-digit advantage. The Bombers outscored the Green Terror, 9-3, down the stretch to claim the first, 25-8.

Using a fresh lineup in the second stint, Ithaca was deadlocked at 5-5 with McDaniel before five consecutive made it a 10-5 game. The Bombers expanded their advantage to win the second, 25-13.

Ithaca again dominated taking the third set, 25-10. It opened with a 9-1 stretch before McDaniel brought the match within five. The Bombers responded with another 9-1 streak to hold an 18-5 advantage. The Blue & Gold claimed seven of the final 12 points to put the match away in three.

Pietrzykowski led the Bombers' offensive effort with six kills as Edsall dished out 19 assists.

The Bombers will face Misericordia at 10 a.m. on Saturday before playing for the championship at 12 p.m.

Lycoming Box Score | McDaniel Box Score