Post-Match Press Conference | Match Highlights
Full Match Replay
 
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Ithaca College women's volleyball team continued its magical 2017 run on Thursday afternoon when it returned to Calvin's Van Noord Arena for the start of NCAA Quarterfinal Round play. Facing one of the tournament's favorites in perennial volleyball power No. 7 Emory University, it was the Bombers that shown best and brightest under the lights of the national stage. Ithaca overcame an early deficit to storm past the Eagles in four sets (13-25, 25-17, 26-24, 28-26) to punch its ticket to the NCAA Final Four on Friday evening.
 
The historic run continues for the Bombers who have now posted their best NCAA Tournament in program history. Thursday's victory over nationally-ranked Emory has Ithaca set for its first NCAA Final Four appearance since 1995 and third in program history. For the first time in program history, IC has now won four NCAA Tournament matches in one season, as the Bombers' previous two NCAA Semifinal appearances in 1994 and 1995 came with smaller tournament fields.
 
The victory also marks the first time that a Liberty League institution has ever qualified a team to the NCAA Semifinals in women's volleyball. The League's previous furthest incursion was the Quarterfinals, where Clarkson advanced four straight seasons from 2012-2015 and of course Ithaca's appearance on Thursday.
 
Today's result did not always look as positive as it eventually turned out to be. The Bombers got off to a challenging start, as they showed some early nerves in the program's first NCAA Quarterfinal in 18 seasons. Emory raced out to a big lead in the first set, capitalizing on several unforced Ithaca errors to run away with the opening set 25-13. However, in one of the most dramatic turnarounds of this NCAA Tournament, Ithaca roared back to take the next three sets in impressive fashion.
 
Ithaca racked up 15, 17 and 18 kills over the final three frames in the match, posting hitting percentages of .294, .316 and .308, respectively. IC also neutralized the Eagles' potent serve to the tune of just six aces and five service errors. The Bombers out-paced Emory 58-to-43 in kills, 61-to-49 in digs, while they hung tough with Emory's big block with eight total blocks to the Eagles' 10.0 in the contest.
 
The Bombers had four players notch double-digit kills in the match, as sophomore setter Caitlyn Floyd continued to establish herself as one of the premiere setters in the country. The sophomore dished out 53 assists, her second 50-plus assist performance of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
 
Ithaca utilized both middle and the pins expertly throughout the match. It was the middle that sparked Ithaca's comeback, as IC was carried by a huge performance from junior Amanda Cerruti. The West Islip, N.Y., product hammered down a tie for team-leading 13 kills on .250 hitting. Defensively, she was equally impressive, finishing with one solo block and five block assists. Junior Katie Evans was also red-hot on the afternoon, posting nine kills on a blistering .467 success rate. She also added one solo block and one block assist.
 
At the pins, freshman Reagan Stone posted her best all-around performance during this postseason. She also tied for the team lead with 13 kills on .267 hitting, while also adding five digs, two block assists, and one service ace.
 
Senior captain Joelle Goldstein and senior outside hitter Caroline Gerulskis were the other two IC players to reach double digits. Goldstein finished with a double-double, posting 11 kills on .348 hitting and adding 15 digs. Gerulskis knocked down 11 kills, which included the clincher in the match, while she also added three digs and two block assists.
 
Behind the block, Ithaca received excellent play from junior libero Tara Stilwell, who dug out 15 balls and added a pair of service aces. Senior captain Kayla Gromen added nine digs, two assists and a service ace, while junior Hailey Adler posted six digs and one kill. Senior Marlee Wierda chipped in an assist in several excellent serves.
 
Ithaca's turnaround came during a huge second set. Trailing 7-4 and looking out of sorts for the majority of the match up until that point, the resilient Bombers rattled off a 9-2 scoring surge to pull ahead 13-9. Cerruti sparked the run with a pair of kills, while Goldstein and Stone each notched one kill apiece and Evans chipped in a solo block.
 
Cerruti and Evans each marked kills as Ithaca extended the lead down the middle stretch of the frame, before Emory rallied to twice cut the deficit to just two points at 18-16 and 19-17. However, Ithaca evened the match at one-set apiece by scoring the final six points of the frame. Cerruti and Evans again each struck for one kill during the stretch, while Stilwell picked up a service ace. Adler finished off the set with a kill in the 25-17 win.
 
Ithaca continued the momentum into the third frame, as the team's hitting continued to build confidence and defense continued to stymie Emory's arsenal of attacking weapons. IC slowly built out a three-point gap during the early stretch of the set, before stringing together a four-point run that included kills by Stone and Cerruti and a big combo block by Gerulskis and Cerruti.
 
Despite the hefty advantage, the Eagles rallied back to earn a set-point opportunity at 24-23. The Bombers did not wilt, scoring the final three points in the frame to take its first lead in the match with a 26-24 set win.
 
Riding the surge, Ithaca again jumped out to a lead in the decisive fourth set. A 4-1 scoring run, which featured a pair of Cerruti finishes opened up a 9-5 lead. After an Emory point, another 4-0 stretch for IC widened the edge to seven points at 13-6 with Goldstein, Stone and Evans each marking a kill.
 
With their backs against the wall Emory again responded with a 9-2 push to tie the set at 15-all at the midway point. After the two sides traded 3-0 spurts, the Eagles again would pull ahead to earn a set-point opportunity in the final moments of the frame at 24-23. The Bombers fended off the Eagles set-point chances at 24-23 and 26-25 with solid play, setting the stage for the exciting finish.
 
Ithaca tied the match at 26-all when Cerruti and Gerulskis combined for a combo stuff. IC then surged forward when Cerruti and Floyd combined on a block assist. Gerulskis put the finishing touches on the 28-26 win in the fourth frame, driving a kill down the line, sending the Bombers into euphoria at center court.
 
Ithaca will face the winner of Thursday's second NCAA Quarterfinal, which pits third-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps against sixth-seeded Gustavus Adolphus. Tomorrow's NCAA Semifinal match is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m.