Box Score

UTICA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College volleyball team (11-12, 2-3 Empire 8) dropped a five-set nail biter to St. John Fisher (5-18, 3-3 Empire 8), 3-2 (25-19, 16-25, 18-25, 25-14, 17-15), Saturday night at Utica.

Three Bombers earned double-digit kills against the Cardinals – senior Marissa Weil tallied 15, freshman Christine Flannery 12 and junior Justine Duryea 11. Freshman Carly Garone set for 39 assists. On the serve, Ithaca recorded 17 aces with three snapping career-high numbers. Junior Syline Kim recorded a match-best six, Garone added five and Flannery four.

Defensively, five Bombers had double-digit digs as Duryea led the way with 17.

Ithaca took a solid 18-14 advantage in the first, though the Cardinals surged to knot action at 18. Fisher put away seven of the final eight points to take a 1-0 lead.

Ithaca went ahead in the series, 2-1, after claiming the second and third sets. The second stanza featured a 17-9 Bomber gap that Ithaca built upon for a 25-16 victory. The third was deadlocked at 7-7 before Ithaca posted seven unanswered on Kim's serve for a 14-7 advantage. The Cardinals pulled within three, 15-12, but Ithaca went on to take the third, 25-18.

Fisher controlled the fourth. The Bombers had the Cardinals within three, 11-8, but a 6-1 run powered the Cardinals down the stretch to tie up action at 2-2.

The fifth and final frame was tied on six occasions. After a 3-3 stalemate, Fisher took a 7-4 lead and remained ahead until the Bombers brought action to 12-12. The set was knotted at 13, 14 and 15 but a Bomber attack error and a Cardinal kill lifted St. John Fisher to victory.

The Bombers return to action on Sunday, Oct. 21. They play the host Pioneers at 10 a.m. and Nazareth at 2 p.m.