ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College volleyball team hosted its first-ever Liberty League match on Friday evening when it welcomed St. Lawrence University for the team's "Dig Pink" match in support of breast cancer research and prevention. The Bombers found their groove early and never looked back in dispatching the Saints in three-sets (25-17, 25-11, 25-18) to move to 2-1 in Liberty League play.
 
Both squads joined together before opening warm-ups to show their support for victims of breast cancer. The two sides donned special pink warm-up shirts and formed for a communitive picture. The IC program also invited its charity partner organization, Cancer Research Center of the Finger Lakes, for a successful fundraiser.
 
Once play got underway, it was the Bombers aggressive attacking and strong work at serve that powered the home side to a convincing straight-sets win. The Bombers out-paced the Saints 39-to-22 in kills, hitting .325 as a team, while holding their counterparts from the North Country to an .010 mark. It was the fourth time this season that IC collectively hit .300-or-better in a match; all four of those efforts have come at Ben Light Gymnasium.
 
"I was pleased with our performance tonight," head coach Johan Dulfer said post-match. "St. Lawrence is a talented team that is going to cause some problems down the road in Liberty League play. I thought that both team's had a strong game plan coming into the night and I'm glad that through our purpose we were able to get on top and assert our will on the match."
 
Ithaca was led by freshman middle hitter Reagan Stone, who continued her breakout debut season with a match-high 16 kills. She posted a team-best .538 hitting-percentage, while also adding two digs and one block assist. The 16 kills matched her career best, which she initially set at Vassar two weeks ago. The rookie has now hit above .500 in four matches this season, while she has hit double-digit kills in six of her past nine matches overall.
 
Stone's big night was amplified by two other strong efforts from Ithaca's interior players. Junior Katie Evans marked seven kills on 11 attacks (.455 hitting percentage), while also posting a dominant performance on the defensive end. She added two solo blocks and three block assists. Fellow third-year player Amanda Cerruti finished with six kills on nine attacks (.444 hitting percentage), while she also chipped in a lone block assist.
 
At the pins, senior Joelle Goldstein led the way with seven kills on 15 attacks (.333 hitting percentage). She also added five digs and one block assist. On her opposite side, sophomore Taylor McCarthy posted three kills, five digs, and one block assist.
 
With freshman Delaney Runyon out of the lineup on the evening, IC turned to a five-one rotation, which was hummed at an efficient pace due to the excellent distribution of sophomore setter Caitlyn Floyd. She finished with 37 assists, two digs, and Ithaca's final block assist.
 
Defensively, junior libero Tara Stilwell marked a match-high 14 digs, while she was lethal on the serve. Stilwell sparked Ithaca's opening set scoring streak with three of her match-best five service aces. Senior Kayla Gromen added two service aces, eight digs, and one assist. Freshman Sarah Jennison and senior Caroline Gerulskis each posted one dig apiece.
 
Although IC scored an early 5-0 run, it was a bit of a sloppy start for the Bombers during the opening set. The visitors kept Ithaca out of sync, forcing an early timeout by head coach Johan Dulfer, as St. Lawrence took a 9-8 lead. That respite seemed to settle down the team's nerves, as the Bombers rattled off seven consecutive points with Stilwell on serve to take a comfortable 15-9 lead. A subsequent 4-0 run, punctuated with kills by Stone, Cerruti, and McCarthy to push the lead to 21-14. Kills by Stone and Cerruti, followed by a Stilwell ace, her fourth of the set, closed out the 25-17 win in the first set.
 
"They came out and caused us some problems during the early part of the set," Dulfer explained. "Both sides were able to serve to the targets they wanted to serve to, but I thought we won that battle as the match wore on. Our goal has been to continue to make incremental improvements each day and I thought that even just focusing on this singular match, we made improvements as the match wore on."
 
Ithaca's most dominant frame came in the second set. IC posted 11 kills and a .381 hitting mark, while it held the Saints to a -.100 hitting percentage to easily out-pace the visitors. After the two teams traded the first several rallies, a 15-1 run by the Bombers blew things open. Three kills by Evans and two additional spikes by Cerruti highlighted the lengthy streak.
 
With firm control of the match, Ithaca used a workmanlike effort to make sure to expunge any hope of a comeback. IC posted 14 kills in the frame to secure the sweep with a 25-18 win. Stone was the Bombers go-to option in the frame, as she racked up seven of her 16 kill in the third. Goldstein also had a strong set with four finishing strikes.
 
"What was most impressive about tonight was our purpose on our swings," Dulfer continued. "We were really aggressive in going after our shots and I thought that is something that we need to continue to build as the year continues."
 
Ithaca returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it heads to the North Country for a big Liberty League showdown at Clarkson. The Golden Knights enter the day with a perfect 4-0 mark in League play. Match is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.  
 
"Every Liberty League match is going to be extremely difficult," Dulfer concluded. "As part of our process, we don't put added importance on any individual match, but my hope is that we continue to grow as a team and make improvements."