ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Following an impressive weekend against tough competition at the Midwest Invitational in Michigan, the Ithaca College women's volleyball team jumped back into Liberty League action on Wednesday evening when it traveled to Rochester, N.Y., to take-on RIT in the first of three League dates on tap for this week. The Bombers carried play from the outset to cruise to a three-set sweep of the Tigers, improving their record to 16-6 on the year and 4-1 in League play.
 
The victory was a big first step for IC in their pursuit of a high seed for the upcoming Liberty League Tournament. With the win, Ithaca pulled into a second-place tie with Clarkson at 4-1, while it sits just one win back of Vassar with two matches to go. The Bombers hold the tiebreaker on the Golden Knights by virtue of their four-set victory in Potsdam, N.Y., earlier this season. The win give IC a stranglehold on a berth to the postseason, which can be secured as early as this Friday night when it welcomes Skidmore to Ben Light Gymansium.
 
"I'm really proud of our performance this evening, especially in the first set," head coach Johan Dulfer said post-match. "We really served tough on them and used that to get an early advantage that was able to carry us through the match. I think our game plan really played out exactly the way we were hoping it would and that really helped us in the match."
 
IC amassed 10 kills and committed just a single error in hitting .500 during the opening set. The Bombers also racked up eight service aces during the first frame, as Ithaca easily pulled away for a 25-9 win. A 12-1 scoring run midway through the set was the pivotal point, which featured three service aces from junior libero Tara Stilwell, as well as three kills from senior outside hitter Joelle Goldstein and a pair of kills from junior middle hitter Katie Evans.
 
The second set was not quite as clean for Ithaca, as RIT was able to grab its first foothold in the match. Although IC matched its opening set with 10 more kills, it only hit .188 as a team, while the Tigers matched the Bombers with 10 kills of their own to make it a much more competitive set.
 
RIT led the frame 10-9; however, another lengthy Ithaca scoring run helped the visitors take control of the match at two-sets-to-none. An 8-1 run turned the deficit into a 17-11 edge in the second frame. Goldstein posted three additional kills during the run, while freshman middle Katie Basey also notched one scoring spike. While a 4-1 scoring run by RIT helped the Tigers pull within three points, another Basey kill sparked a 4-0 streak for IC, which proved to be enough for the visitors to hold on in the set.
 
"I think we took them by surprise in the first set, but let our guard down a little bit in the second," Dulfer continued. "Despite not being quite as sharp, I felt like we talked well in the huddle and did a lot of great things off the court to stay mentally engaged, which helped us rebound for a strong finish."
 
Looking to seal the match in the minimum number of frames, IC used another scoring run to take control in the third. The Bombers scored seven consecutive points to pull ahead 11-6. Freshman middle hitter Reagan Stone and sophomore setter Caitlyn Floyd, as well as Goldstein marked kills during the stretch, while senior Kayla Gromen added a service ace.
 
Goldstein pushed the lead to 19-10 with a 3-0 run completely fueled by finishes off her right hand. She marked a kill, before following it with back-to-back service aces. Junior Ruby Dyson posted two kills down the stretch to cap the 25-16 win.
 
"It is always special to get a win against a storied program like RIT," Dulfer concluded. "They have a great coach and a great program. A win at their place during League play is never easy and I'm glad our team was able to rise to the occasion tonight."
 
Goldstein led Ithaca's charge on the night with 11 kills on scintillating .444 hitting. The senior added seven digs and three service aces. Combined with her strong performance over the weekend, Goldstein cemented her hold on the 10^th place spot all-time in kills with 1,314 for her career.
 
Stone added six kills on .263 hitting, while also posting three digs and one block assist. Basey and Evan each finished with three kills on four attempts (.750 hitting), while Basey chipped in one block assist. Dyson and junior Amanda Cerruti each marked two kills.
 
Floyd ran an efficient offense for the Bombers, finishing with 27 assists. She also had two service aces and a pair of digs. Stilwell paced IC with nine digs and three service aces. Senior Marlee Wierda added a pair of service aces, while Gromen also had two aces and three digs. Junior Hailey Adler contributed one ace to Ithaca's total 13 in the contest.
 
Ithaca returns to action this Friday, October 20, when it hosts Skidmore in a Liberty League match at Ben Light Gymnasium. Start time is 6:00 p.m.