Match Info
Ithaca (13-4) at SUNY Cortland (11-8)
Tuesday, October 4, 2016 | 6:00 P.M.
Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium – Cortland, N.Y.
 
Match Coverage
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Last Time Out
It has been exactly one week since the Bombers last took the court, scoring a four-set victory on the road at Alfred last Tuesday. IC got off to a slow start in the match, dropping the opening set 25-23; however, Ithaca found its game in the second frame and went on to take the next three sets by comfortable margins. The win upped the team's record to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in Empire 8 play.
 
Road Warriors
Tuesday marks the Bombers' seventh true road match of the season. The road has been a lot like home to IC this season, as the squad enters Tuesday night with a 5-1 record in road matches this season. IC has won three of those matches in straight sets, which includes a three-set victory over then-20^th ranked Clarkson. Ithaca also swept the Red Dragons in three sets the last time the two teams tussled at Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium during the 2014 season.
 
Efficient Attacks
While the Bombers are blessed with two of the best outside hitters in the league in junior standout, Joelle Goldstein, and freshman breakout player, Taylor McCarthy, the Ithaca middle hitters have been a force to contend with as well. The sophomore combination of Amanda Cerruti and Katie Evans have been extremely efficient in their attacking this season. Both players enter Tuesday with 109 kills apiece and rank within the top-10 of the Empire 8 Conference's hitting-percentage rankings. Cerruti checks in at seventh with a .276 success rate, while Evans has registered a .248 mark that is good for ninth. Cerruti has posted 10 matches with a .300-or-better hitting mark, while Evans has nine such matches to her credit on the year.
 
Digging Out of Trouble
Sophomore transfer, Tara Stilwell, has made a seamless transition to the rotation this season and is well on her way to one of the best single-season dig marks in program history. She enters the match against SUNY Cortland with 320 digs in just 58 games this season a mark of 5.52 per set. Stilwell currently ranks second in the conference for the statistic, while she has 10 20-plus dig matches to her credit on the year. Her season-best came just two matches ago when she dug out 27 Stevens' attacks.
 
Scouting SUNY Cortland
The Red Dragons enter Tuesday night with a record of 11-8 and a 1-2 mark in SUNYAC play. Cortland has been on a little bit of a roll of late, as it has won three of its last four matches overall. The team is coming off a 2-1 showing at the Skidmore College Classic this past weekend, dropping a four-set match to Empire 8 foe, Nazareth, and winning matches against Sage and Skidmore. Courtney Silberer is the team's top offensive threat, as she has racked up 184 kills in 70 sets this season. Amanda May is the Red Dragons other century-mark attacker, entering Tuesday with 106 kills and a team-best .249 hitting percentage. May is also a fearsome presence on the defensive side of net, checking-in as the team's top blocker with 54 total.
 
Looking Ahead
Ithaca returns to Empire 8 play with the second tri-match of the season in Oneonta, N.Y. The Bombers open the day with a match against St. John Fisher at 11:00 a.m. and follow that with clash against Hartwick at 1:30 p.m.