ITHACA, N.Y. – Following two straight weeks of extremely challenging action in the Keystone State, the Ithaca College volleyball team made its much-anticipated return to Ben Light Gymnasium on Wednesday evening when it opened its Empire 8 schedule against Elmira College. The Bombers controlled matters from the outset against its Route 13 neighbor, utilizing a strong serve-pass game to overwhelm the young Soaring Eagles in straight sets 25-12, 25-12, 25-23.
 
"It is always good to get the first win in conference play under our belts," head coach Johan Dulfer said. "Our focus this season has always been staying present and going 1-0 in each match. It is a mantra that we have repeated since the beginning of the year and I'm glad we were able to accomplish that 1-0 this evening."
 
It was the Bombers serve-pass game that continually gave the Soaring Eagles fits throughout the match. The contest started with a clinical opening game, in which IC racked up 13 kills on just 20 attacks to hit an otherworldly .600.
 
The inside-outside attacking combo of sophomore, Amanda Cerruti, and freshman, Taylor McCarthy, got the Bombers got Ithaca up-and-running during the early portions of the game. Cerruti posted three kills and a block assist, while McCarthy finished off a pair of rallies, as IC jumped out to an early 7-2 lead.
 
After Elmira took four of the next six points to climb back into the set, the Bombers rattled off six straight points to grab a commanding lead in the frame. McCarthy's service game powered the run as she notched three successive aces, while junior, Joelle Goldstein, and sophomore, Katie Evans, picked up kills during the streak.
 
IC maintained the nine-point lead throughout the middle portion of the match through the scintillating hitting of Cerruti and Evans on the inside, as well as freshman, Anna Shelley, and Goldstein on the outside. Sophomore, Hailey Adler, closed out the opening set with back-to-back aces to take the game 25-12.
 
"Anytime you can win the serve-pass game as decisively as we did, it really bodes well as far as your chances to win the match," Dulfer continued. "I thought our serve-receiving was really strong all day, so there was not really a chink in the armor there. When we hit the service line with purpose that really helped us create the distance."
 
The strong play from the opening frame carried into set number two, as Ithaca again raced out to a convincing lead. With junior, Kayla Gromen, on serve, IC strung together its second 6-0 scoring run of the evening. Sophomore, Kyle Dandrea, picked up a pair of kills, while Evans and Adler finished off rallies during the streak.
 
Junior, Marlee Wierda, extended IC's lead to 12-3 with a three-point run on serve, which included an ace. The Bombers maintained the gap throughout the middle portion of the second set, before Evans took control of the frame late. She scored four of Ithaca's final five points with white-hot hitting, as IC took the second set by the same score as the first, 25-12. Evans finished the second game with a team-leading six kills.
 
"Everyone contributed to tonight's match," Dulfer added. "We expect everyone to be ready when their number is called upon. Our team is so tight-knit and it feels good when you go into the match and deliver the results that we all know you are capable of. Everyone has each other's backs and it really makes for a healthy environment to play our best volleyball when everyone is pulling for each other's success."
 
The third set was the tightest of the three, but it was Ithaca that again came through in the clutch moments. The two sides traded points throughout the early portion of the frame, but with Wierda toeing the service line, IC strung together a 5-0 run to transform a 16-all deadlock into a 21-16 lead. Goldstein picked up a pair of kills during the streak, while McCarthy and Evans sandwiched the Goldstein efforts with kills of their own.
 
Facing an uphill battle, Elmira did not go down without a fight, picking up four straight points to close within one at 22-21. Sophomore, Ruby Dyson, stymied the run with a huge momentum-shifting kill to lift IC to a decisive lead. Kills by the freshmen duo of Caitlyn Floyd and McCarthy closed out the match.
 
Evans posted her best match of the season for the Bombers, finishing with a phenomenal 12 kills on 19 attacks to hit a sensational .474 for the match. The second-year middle added a solo block and two block assists.
 
Goldstein added a solid performance with nine kills on 17 attacks (.235 hitting percentage), chipping in a strong passing effort with eight digs. McCarthy marked five kills on 15 attacks (.200 hitting percentage) and three service aces on the opposite pin.
 
Seeing limited action during the latter portions of the match, Cerruti still marked four kills on a team-leading .667 hitting. She also added a block assist to extend her conference-leading total. Adler also marked four kills, as well as a pair of service aces and block assists.
 
Gromen paced the Bombers with 19 assists, while Floyd chipped in 16 helpers in an excellent night of distributing to the team's various attacking options. Stilwell led the squad with 14 digs.
 
"We got tonight's win and now our focus is on another challenging road trip this coming weekend," Dulfer concluded. "Saturday presents a new day and a new challenge for us to respond to and I know the team will be ready to answer the call."
 
Ithaca returns to action on Saturday, September 24, when it faces Nazareth and Stevens in Hoboken, N.J., in the first of three Empire 8 tri-matches this season. Start time against the Golden Flyers is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., while IC takes on the host Ducks at 4:00 p.m.