Post Game Press Conference

POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's volleyball team punched its ticket to the NCAA Quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon, triumphing over red-hot Babson College in four sets (25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 25-15) to win the Potsdam, N.Y. Region. The Bombers will head back to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., for the Round of Eight, which is set to get underway this coming Thursday.
 
For the Bombers, it is their first time advancing out of the Regional Rounds of the NCAA Tournament since 1999 when Ithaca advanced to the Elite 8 and fell to Trinity (Texas) in Ben Light Gymnasium. Ithaca will find out its next opponent pending the NCAA committee's release of the final bracket, as all eight finalists will be re-seeded.
 
"Words cannot describe how incredibly grateful I am for this experience with this group of players," head coach Johan Dulfer said following the match. "I am so proud of this group. It was not always pretty here today, but we showed incredible heart and found a way to score the result we worked so hard for."
 
Ithaca earned its title as Regional Champions with a gritty effort that has characterized the team's surge down the home stretch of the season. While the Bombers may not have been at their sharpest from a hitting perspective, IC won the serve-receive battle handily with a dynamite performance from the service line. IC racked up 10 service aces, while the team registered a 9.0-to-5.0 edge in total blocks and a 60-to-49 lead in digs to come out on top.
 
"I knew this team had the capacity to do this and it feels so good to be able to win today," junior libero Tara Stilwell said. "We worked so hard as a group throughout the offseason and throughout this season for an opportunity to get here. We made small goals and tried to take things one match at a time and all that commitment really helped us today."
 
Despite having its struggles through stretches of today's match, Ithaca still performed well from a hitting perspective. IC out-paced Babson 49-to-37 in kills, with the block limiting the Beavers to a .101 success rate, while the Bombers posted a .169 hitting percentage of their own.
 
"I thought today's match was so great from a growth perspective for our team," Dulfer continued. "We had to dig deep and I thought the team showed metal growth and physical growth to battle through adversity against an incredibly talented team in Babson."
 
Ithaca's attack came at the Beavers from many different angles. Unlike the prior two matches in which the majority of the offense came through the middle, sophomore setter Caitlyn Floyd mixed things up to perfection, collecting 40 assists, nine digs, two block assists, two service aces and two kills in a clinical performance that netted her a spot on the Regional All-Tournament Team.
 
The pin-hitters paced the way for IC on Sunday, led by freshman Reagan Stone. The AVCA All-New York Region Rookie of the Year tallied a team-best 12 kills and five of IC's 10 service aces to spur the Bombers to victory. The St. Louis, Mo., native also registered two block assists and three digs in her strongest performance of the weekend.
 
"I'm just really excited," Stone said. "We really wanted this and today we all proved it on the court how badly we wanted it. We have worked so hard for this moment and I am so glad we get to continue our run in the Tournament."
 
On the opposite pin, senior Joelle Goldstein was the heart-and-soul of the Ithaca charge. She notched 10 kills and seven digs, also adding a block assist and service ace. Like Floyd, Goldstein was also named an All-Tournament Team selection during the awards presentation.
 
Adding to the Bombers outside presence was a huge performance by senior Caroline Gerulskis, who jump started the Bombers during the pivotal third set with four big kills and a block assist to swing the tide in favor of Ithaca. She went on to finish with six kills on 12 attacks, adding three digs and one block assist. Freshman Sarah Jennison chipped in one kill, while junior Hailey Adler posted one kill and 11 digs.
 
Ithaca's middle was also formidable on the day with both junior Amanda Cerruti and junior Katie Evans hitting above .300 on the afternoon. Cerruti continued her huge weekend with nine kills on a .333 success rate, while also adding one solo block and three block assists. She was named the Regional Tournament's Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of the day. Evans also had a great outing, eight kills on .316 hitting, while also posting four block assists and a crucial ace in a rare serving opportunity that helped seal things in the decisive fourth set.
 
Behind the block, junior libero Tara Stilwell paced the Bombers with 18 digs and frequently delivered strong serving, which netted her one ace. Senior Kayla Gromen chipped in six digs and two assists, while senior Marlee Wierda posted a pair of digs.
 
The opening set was extremely tight throughout the majority of the frame, as both sides traded points and short scoring runs until the midway point. With Ithaca leading 15-14, Stone was the catalyst for a 5-0 run that gave Ithaca a comfortable lead it would turn into the early set advantage. The rookie sparked the run with a big kill down the line, while she rattled off three consecutive service aces to push the lead to 20-14. Cerruti also chipped in a kill during the stretch.
 
"I thought our serve-receive really proved to be the difference today," Dulfer explained. "We stumbled upon a serving strategy that we utilized to our advantage and it made a big difference in helping us pull out the match."
 
Goldstein and Cerruti each posted a kill during the final stretch, while Evans and Goldstein combined on a combo block. Floyd sealed the first set with a service ace in the 25-17 win.
 
The Bombers narrowly took a two set advantage after a furious rally pushed Ithaca into the lead late in the second frame. A pair of Goldstein kills as part of a 3-0 scoring run gave IC a 22-21 advantage, while Evans reestablished the one-point lead a serve later; however, the Beavers scored three straight points to even the match at 1-1.
 
The Babson rally had the Beavers flying high during the early portions of the third set. The Beavers' tricky serve and relentless block sparked a 4-0 run that pushed Babson into a 13-11 lead. Looking to jump start the attack, IC turned to Gerulskis who did not see action until the third frame. The move worked perfectly, as the senior made an immediate impact with three kills and block assist, as an 11-2 run by the Bombers flipped the deficit into a 21-15 lead.
 
Although Babson battled back within three points, Gerulskis and Cerruti combined for three kills down the stretch to seal the pivotal third set in Ithaca's favor 25-20.
 
Ithaca's serve really put the pressure on during the fourth game. A 5-1 stretch, which included a kill from Joelle Goldstein lifted Ithaca to a 9-5 lead. Back-to-back plays by Stone widened the edge to 14-8 when the rookie put down a thunderous kill that caromed to the back wall and then followed it up with a service ace.
 
The Beavers never closed within five points for the duration of the fourth set. Cerruti and Stone each added three more kills down the stretch, while today's unsung hero Gerulskis put down the finishing point to allow the team to storm the court in celebration.
 
"We have gotten tremendous support from our college and department to make trips to play the best of the best on their home floors," Dulfer concluded. "It certainly has prepared us for moments like today and for moments that we are going to see this coming week. This is not the end of the road, it is only the beginning."
 
Stay tuned to the Ithaca College Athletics website for more information on women's volleyball's postseason run.