SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The 19^th-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team jumped back into Liberty League play on Friday evening, kicking off a critical two-match weekend road swing to the Capital Region at Skidmore. The Bombers got off to a picture-perfect start to the crucial road trip, firing on all cylinders in a straight-set sweep of the Thoroughbreds (25-8, 25-15, 25-22). The victory improves IC's record to 11-5 on the year and helped the team remain unbeaten at 3-0 in Liberty League play.
 
"I have to give much of the props to our two assistant coaches, Kelsey Klopfer and Rachel Ford, for our performance tonight," head coach Johan Dulfer said following the match. "They put together the scouting report and the game plan for tonight's match and it could not have worked out any better with how we were able to execute out there tonight."
 
Tonight's match really continued a trend that we have seen from the Bombers in recent weeks. The benefit of the challenging early-season schedule coupled with many players gaining valuable experience has really helped the team take its game to another level. Ithaca was truly in midseason form on Friday, racking up 42 kills on scintillating .333 team hitting success to easily pull away from the talented Thoroughbreds in one of the most comprehensive performances by the Bombers this season. It ended up being IC's fourth consecutive straight-sets victory.
 
"We noticed as the match wore on that as long as we had a lot of purpose and conviction to our game, that the things we were expecting to be available were open for us," Dulfer explained. "Skidmore is a talented and dangerous opponent, especially on their home court where it is never easy. We are happy that we were able to come out of tonight with the victory and we look forward to putting a strong ending to the trip with another challenging match tomorrow."
 
Leading the way for Ithaca was once-again the team's outstanding sophomore pin-hitter in Reagan Stone. The St. Louis native set the tone for the night with a dominant seven-kill opening set en route to finishing with a match-high 15 kills on .345 hitting success. She would also add three digs, a team-high three service aces, and two assists on the evening.
 
Adding production on the outside was the combo of sophomore Sarah Jennison and first-year Jaelyn Hershberger. Jennison continued her upward trajectory of the past few matches, notching six kills on .333 hitting success and one dig on the defensive side. Hershberger turned in another solid effort as she continues to find her groove coming off a nagging injury during the early part of this season. She also registered six kills on .222 hitting, while also chipping in three digs.
 
In the middle, senior Katie Evans had another steady and productive outing as the Bombers main interior threat. She had an excellent two-way performance, posting seven kills on .462 hitting offensively, as well as two solo blocks and one dig defensively. First-year Monet Peoples added one kill in extended action.
 
Junior Caitlyn Floyd facilitated Ithaca's well-balanced attack with another dynamic performance by the Liberty League's top table-setter. She racked up 31 assists and took matters into her own hands on occasion with five kills on .833 hitting success. The Mahwah, N.J., product also posted one service ace and three digs.
 
The IC backline was also quite sharp on Friday. Senior libero Tara Stilwell led the way with one of her best outings of the campaign. She posted her fifth 20-plus dig effort of the season, finishing with a match-high 23 in the contest. She also added one kill and three assists. First-year Jordyn Lyn Hayashi also played a solid match with seven digs, one assist, and one service ace. Senior Hailey Adler chipped in five digs, one assist, and one kill. Sophomore Delaney Runyon tallied one dig, but contributed some strong serving throughout the evening.
 
The opening set of the evening was a complete runaway for IC. The Bombers took control early and quieted the raucous homecoming crowd quickly in a 25-8 thrashing. Ithaca started the match on a 4-0 scoring run that featured a Floyd ace and kills from Stilwell, Adler, and Stone. A subsequent 5-0 surge broke things open at 10-2. Evans and Stone each contributed a pair of kills during that next surge. An 11-1 scoring stretch put things beyond doubt with Hershberger, Jennison and Stone each registering two kills apiece during that stretch of play. IC took the opening set 25-8, its most lopsided set win of the campaign.
 
The second set featured another early scoring surge that pushed IC into a lead it would not relinquish. Trailing 4-3, the Bombers strung together a 7-1 scoring run that proved pivotal in the frame. Jennison powered the run with a pair of kills, while Evans and Floyd each delivered one scoring finish. While the Thoroughbreds closed the gap within a single point at 11-10, that would be as close as the home side could get in the set. A 5-1 scoring surge reupped IC's margin to five points at 16-11. A subsequent 5-1 scoring run that featured back-to-back service aces from Stone and a kill from Floyd put things out of reach. Hershberger added a late kill, as the Bombers saw out the 25-15 win and a commanding two-set lead in the match.
 
The third frame was the closest between the two teams, as Skidmore turned in an inspired effort to try and extend the match. The Bombers held a five-point margin a pair of times early in the third, but the Thoroughbreds battled all the way back to tie the game at 19-all and 20-all late. A 4-0 scoring run by the Bombers proved to be the difference, as IC turned to Stone for a pair of kills while Hayashi added a service ace during the stretch. Although Skidmore staved off two match-point chances, the Bombers finally put things away when Peoples put away an overpass for the clinching kill.
 
Ithaca returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it faces Union in another challenging road match in Liberty League play. Start time is slated for 2:00 p.m.