HOBOKEN, N.J. – The 18^th-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team jumped back into non-league play on Friday night when it tipped off the first of two days of competition of the Stevens Ducks Invitational in Hoboken, N.J. Facing a red-hot Stockton team in the final match of the evening, the Bombers proved to be too much for the Ospreys in a straight-set sweep 25-21, 27-25, 25-19. The win improves Ithaca's winning streak to nine consecutive matches, while it was the fourth consecutive straight-sets victory over a non-league foe.
 
Tonight's match certainly tested Ithaca's focus and mental toughness. With the original start time scheduled for 8:00 p.m., play did not officially get underway until 9:47 p.m. due to a pair of five-set matches on Stevens main court during the afternoon and early evening sessions. The early evening session actually played in the Bombers' favor, as University of Scranton and Stockton battled in a back-and-forth contest that went the distance and then some, with the Royals finally outlasting the Ospreys 18-16 in the decisive fifth set. Despite the lengthy delay, the Bombers came out sharp from the outset and never really allowing a fatigued Stockton to gain a foothold in the match en route to the three-set victory.
 
"We are extremely hard to beat when our offense is clicking like it was tonight," head coach Johan Dulfer said following the match. "I'm really happy with how our team stayed dialed in despite some circumstances out of our control. We came out sharp and really were able to impose our will on tonight's match. When we execute the game plan like we were able to do tonight, opponents are going to have a tough time stopping us."
 
The Bombers had one of their best hitting matches of the season on Friday, racking up 46 kills in just three sets of action. The team topped .230 hitting as a group in each set, which included a .297 success rate in the 15-kill opening set and a .321 mark in the decisive 14-kill third. Stockton was no slouch either, registering a .200 hitting mark as a team, which included a .364 success rate playing to extend the match in the third game. In the end, it was Ithaca's dynamic firepower, as well as a season-high 12 service aces that powered the way to the crucial in-region victory.
 
The opening set began to take shape midway through the frame when a 5-2 scoring run gave the Bombers their first real separation at 14-10. Although Stockton would twice cut the deficit to just two points, IC would answer by widening the advantage back to four points twice more during the midway portion of the game. A kill by sophomore outside hitter Sarah Jennison, followed by a service ace from senior defensive specialist Hailey Adler stretched the lead to 17-13. Following two Stockton points, the Bombers again responded with back-to-back kills by senior middle Katie Evans and sophomore outside hitter Reagan Stone.
 
The stretch run decided the first frame, as the Bombers strung together the first significant run of the match with a 4-0 surge to open up a 23-16 advantage. Senior middle Ruby Dyson and junior setter Caitlyn Floyd powered the stretch. Dyson kept up her strong play from the mid-week win over RIT this past Wednesday, notching a pair of kills, while Floyd tallied two service aces. Although Stockton staved off three-set points, the Bombers ultimately gained the early advantage with the 25-21 win in the opening set.
 
"I was really impressed with our patience as a unit tonight," Dulfer explained. "We did not over play situations and did a good job of taking what Stockton was giving us and attacking with confidence. Our ability to play with conviction and striking the ball with confidence was key in the victory tonight."
 
The second set was really the turning point in the contest, as Ithaca was able to take a stranglehold on the match. Following a similar blue print to the opening set, neither side was able to gain significant separation until later in the game. A 3-0 surge by IC, featuring back-to-back kills from Stone and an additional finish from Jennison gave Ithaca its largest lead in the game at 22-19. However, it was short-lived, as the Ospreys pushed back with a 5-1 scoring surge to earn a set-point. Not to be fazed, Ithaca rallied with a 4-1 answer down the stretch, which included a big Jennison kill and some strong defensive work on some extended rallies. The 27-25 victory gave Ithaca a momentum building 2-0 lead in the match.
 
"When you get to these big matches against tough opponents, it really how you perform in those crucial moments at the end of sets that makes the biggest difference," Dulfer continued. "How you perform in the most stressful moments, the really big points, is everything when you get to this level. Remaining calm in those moments is something that only comes with experience and tonight I think we continued to see the dividends showing up of the challenging schedule we have played this season. We held our composure and remained patient and confident and ultimately we came out on top."
 
With things well in control, Ithaca came out firing in the third set. The Bombers opened up an early 6-2 advantage behind a pair of kills from Stone and a kill apiece from Dyson and Evans. However, Stockton would not go away, rattling off a 5-1 run to pull back ahead by a single-point.
 
The difference came with the Bombers trailing 10-9. IC sided out with a kill from Dyson and proceeded to string together seven additional points with first-year defensive specialist Jordyn Lyn Hayashi on serve. She tallied three successive service aces to prompt an Osprey timeout with IC leading 13-10. After the timeout, the Bombers put together four more points with Jennison marking a kill, Stone adding two more, and Hayashi registering her fourth ace of the sequence.
 
Stone added two more kills down the stretch, while Jennison and Evans each picked up a kill to maintain IC's lead. Although Stockton cut the deficit to just three points with a 4-0 run, the Bombers responded with a 4-0 run of their own which was capped by a pair of Adler service aces. Floyd clinched the match with a kill on the dump to seal the 25-19 win in the third frame.
 
Stone continued to pace Ithaca's attack from the pins on Friday. She finished with a match-high 17 kills on .306 hitting success. She also would add six digs. It was the sophomore's ninth straight match with double-digit kills.
 
Jennison and junior outside hitter Taylor McCarthy also provided solid production on the outside. Jennison led the way with seven kills on .278 hitting, while she also chipped in three digs. McCarthy finished with five kills on .263 hitting success, adding four digs defensively.
 
In the middle, Evans had another strong outing. She was phenomenal in the early going with six kills in the opening set, finishing the night with 11 on .250 hitting. The senior added a solo block and two digs. Dyson posted a season-high five kills on a team-best .556 hitting rate. She also paced the Bombers in blocks with a solo and two block assists, as well as notching a pair of digs.
 
Floyd tallied 41 assists, her fifth time posting 40-plus helpers during Ithaca's nine-match win streak. She notched her third double-double of the year with 12 digs, as well as adding three service aces, two block assists, and the match-clinching kill.
 
Senior libero Tara Stilwell hit a big milestone on the evening in a strong performance on the backline. Needing five digs to reach 2,000 for her collegiate career, she hit the mark midway through the second set, finishing with 11 digs in the match. She also would add four assists.
 
Hayashi and Adler delivered extremely strong serving performances. The rookie tallied four service aces and six digs, while the senior posted a match-high five aces and added four digs. Sophomore Delaney Runyon added one dig in her serving specialist role.
 
The Bombers return to the court for a pair of matches in an updated schedule tomorrow. First, Ithaca will face Scranton at noon, a one-hour push back due to tonight's late finish. The Bombers conclude the day with a match against Arcadia at 2:00 p.m.