ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College volleyball team wrapped up its regular season home slate in emphatic fashion on Saturday, sweeping both ends of an Empire 8 crossover at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers opened the day with a dominant three-set victory over Utica College, while they rounded out the day's action with another comfortable straight-sets triumph over Houghton.
 
With the pair of victories, Ithaca rounds out the regular season conference slate with a 7-1 record in Empire 8 matches. IC secured the second seed in the upcoming Empire 8 Tournament with the pair of wins, setting up a matchup against third-seeded Nazareth in the semifinal round of the tournament.
 
The Bombers celebrated Senior Day prior to the final match of the day against Houghton. IC honored senior defensive specialist, Myan Idziur, as well as graduating team managers, Eric Finklestein and Gabe Radoccia-Feuerstein in a pre-match ceremony. The solid win over the Highlanders was a fitting send off, but Ithaca knows that there is still a long journey to travel in the weeks ahead.
 
Ithaca 3 – Utica 0 (25-14, 25-8, 25-8)
 
Ithaca began the three-match slate at Ben Light Gymnasium on Saturday with perhaps their most dominant victory of the year in the straight-sets triumph over Utica. The Bombers limited the Pioneers to a season-low 30 total points in a lopsided victory that set the tone for the day.
 
After falling behind 3-1 early, the Bombers began to find their attacking rhythm, which they quickly translated into an 8-1 run. The scoring string gave Ithaca a comfortable margin, which it would maintain throughout the opening set. Sophomore, Amanda Cerruti, got a jump start in what would be a huge match for her with a pair of kills during the stretch, while freshman, Taylor McCarthy, also posted a pair of rally finishers. The back half of the run was fueled by junior, Joelle Goldstein's, strong serve, as the third-year picked up a pair of service aces.
 
The Bombers posted two subsequent 5-0 scoring runs during the rest of the opening set to coast to a 25-14 win. Ithaca closed out the frame with back-to-back points as Cerruti teamed with McCarthy for a block assists, while Goldstein scored the 25^th point on another service ace.
 
IC never gave the Pioneers a chance in the middle frame, starting the set on a 10-0 scoring run with sophomore, Tara Stilwell, on serve. Goldstein and Cerruti continued their hot starts with a pair of kills each during the run. Although the Pioneers snapped the string of points on the 11^th rally of the frame, another 8-0 run stretched Ithaca's advantage to 18-1.
 
IC saw out the victory with more strong play from its servers. Junior, Kayla Gromen, picked up back-to-back service aces, while sophomore, Katie Evans, picked up a pair of kills down the stretch, as Ithaca took a stranglehold in the match with a 25-8 win in the second set.
 
The Bombers began the decisive third frame similarly to the way they started the second. Junior, Izabella Mocarski, helped IC rattle off 11 straight points to begin the set. She picked up a pair of aces during the streak, while Goldstein chipped in three more kills.
 
Although the Pioneers scored points on seven of the next eight rallies, another lengthy run by the home side put the set and the match out of reach. Ithaca closed the match on a 13-1 run to win the third set by another 25-8 final. Cerruti and junior, Caroline Gerulskis, put the finishing touches on the contest with a block assist for the game's final point.
 
Goldstein led the team with 12 kills on a strong .320 hitting percentage. The third-year outside hitter added seven digs, four service aces, and a solo block. Cerruti joined Goldstein in posting a huge match. She marked 11 kills on a .318 hitting mark, while the middle hitter added two solo blocks and four block assists.
 
Evans and Gerulskis also made nice complementary attacking options. Evans finished with six kills on a .417 hitting percentage, while Gerulskis hit at an otherworldly .714 clip in posting five kills.
 
Freshman, Caitlyn Floyd, led the Bombers with 19 assists, while she also chipped in four kills and three service aces. Gromen finished with 16 assists, two service aces, and one kill.
 
Mocarski ended the match with three service aces and three digs. Stilwell led Ithaca with 13 digs, while she also picked up three assists and two service aces.
 
Ithaca 3 – Houghton 0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-14)
 
Looking to close out the Empire 8 slate on a winning note, the Bombers continued their strong play against Houghton in the final match of the afternoon. Although the contest was more tightly contested than the opening match of the day against the Pioneers, Ithaca proved to be too much in defeating the Highlanders in three sets.
 
The Bombers hitting remained hot, racking up 45 kills on a .318 hitting percentage as a team. The strong play started right out of the gates, as IC marked 17 kills on a .359 hitting clip during the opening set.
 
Ithaca controlled matters from the outset by stringing together a 6-1 run to begin the frame. Goldstein was the team's go-to option as she collected kills on three-of-four rallies. The two sides traded points throughout the rest of the set, but a late 3-0 run, highlighted by another Goldstein rocket, sealed things for the Bombers. Cerruti capped the 25-19 win with a big kill down the center.
 
The middle set was the closest of the three frames played between the two sides. Although IC held a slim lead throughout the early portions of the game, Houghton marked a 6-0 run to pull ahead 17-16. However, Ithaca scored three straight points to snatch back the lead at 20-18. The margin remained close throughout, but back-to-back kills from Idziur and Gerulskis sealed the imposing two-set lead in the match.
 
The third set proved to be another set of runs with the Bombers stringing together longer and more frequent scoring bunches to pave the way for the three-set win.
 
Ithaca snatched control with a 7-1 scoring string early in the set to take a 10-5 advantage. Another 7-1 run later in the frame expanded the lead to 19-10, with the margin proving more than enough for the motivated Bombers to hold onto.
 
Goldstein put an exclamation point on her big afternoon with a team-best 13 kills on a scorching .423 hitting percentage. She notched her 10^th double-double of the year with 12 digs.
 
Cerruti and Gerulskis added eight kills apiece, while both also scored a solo block and block assist each. Evans finished with seven kills and a block assist.
 
Floyd paced the Bombers with 22 asssists, while she added three kills. Gromen finished with 16 assists, five digs, and a service ace. Playing in her final regular season home game, Idziur posted two kills and five digs.
 
Looking Ahead
Ithaca concludes the regular season next weekend when it travels to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., for the two-day Skidmore Invitational. Ithaca opens on Friday, October 28, when it faces SUNY New Paltz at 5:00 p.m.