Ithaca College Athletics

Press Conference | Regional Portal
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – The 25^th-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team was back on the court at Ben Light Gymnasium on Saturday evening when it continued its NCAA Tournament run with an NCAA Regional Semifinal match-up against red-hot Stevenson University. The Bombers made it two wins in as many tries, dispatching the Mustangs in straight-sets (25-23, 25-21, 25-17) to move within one victory of qualifying for the NCAA Championships site in Pittsburgh, Pa.
 
Ithaca took to the court on Saturday looking to accomplish something the volleyball program has not achieved in nearly two decades. Although IC has been no stranger to the NCAA Tournament over the years, deep incursions have been infrequent. When the final ball dropped on Saturday, the Bombers earned a spot in Sunday's final match, marking the first time since 1999-2000 that IC has played for a Regional Championship in back-to-back seasons.
 
"We give a ton of credit to Stevenson on just an excellently played match," head coach Johan Dulfer began following the match. "That is a talented and proud program that has been a fixture in the NCAA Tournament over recent years. The final score line does not accurately tell the story of this match. Stevenson played some incredible defense and really made it a grind for every single point. In those first two sets it really could have went either way and I'm just really proud of our team to be able to pick up the points in those clutch moments to pull out this victory."
 
Tonight was a classic workmanlike effort for the Bombers, who prevailed despite not converting at their typical efficiency. Although IC was victorious in straight-sets, the squad hit at just a .175 clip as a team and recorded a total of 36 kills on the night. While both marks rank among the lowest for Ithaca in a winning effort this season, the squad bridged the difference with some nasty deliveries from the service line and a strong blocking effort that totaled seven on the night. Those two area limited a dynamic Stevenson attack to just 28 kills and an .069 hitting mark on for the match.
 
The tone for this one was set right from the outset, as neither team gained much separation in a fiercely competitive opening set. IC snatched the first significant lead of the game with a 6-1 scoring run that opened up a 12-7 advantage early, however, Stevenson battled back out of a timeout to level the score at 16-all in the middle of frame.
 
The two sides would trade points during the ensuring stretch, setting up a nail-biter to decide early control of the match. Trailing 21-20, senior middle Katie Evans made a solo block to level the score and fellow senior Hailey Adler followed that with a service ace to put Ithaca back ahead by one at 22-21. After the two sides again traded points over the next three exchanges, first-year pin-hitter Alison Lipton came up with a huge kill of the block to put the Bombers within a point of the set. IC would avoid extra-points, scoring the 25-23 win when a strong serve from junior setter Caitlyn Floyd prompted an out-of-system off-balanced attack by Stevenson's Darien Hileman that drove into the net. It was a big momentum boost for the home side, as Ithaca scored the early edge despite just nine total kills in the opening set.
 
Ithaca began to find its rhythm in the middle frame and that showed, as IC's kill count rose to 14 on .333 success during the second set. Most of that damage was done in comeback fashion, as the Mustangs got off to a strong start in a bid to equal the match at a set apiece. Stevenson had the much better of the play early, racing out to leads of 12-6 and 13-7, before Ithaca found its timing.
 
A 4-0 scoring run, keyed by kills from Stone and Evans, as well as a solo block by first-year Jaelyn Hershberger helped the Bombers climb back into the set. A subsequent 3-0 run a few rallies later, which featured a kill from senior middle Amanda Cerruti and two kills from Stone, brought IC into a tie at 17-all. The clutch points again went Ithaca's way down the stretch, as the home side capped the second set win with a 5-0 run. It was kills by Stone and Evans that put the bookend on the surge that gave Ithaca a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The early moments of the third set were highlighted by significant scoring runs. The Bombers posted a 6-0 surge to pull ahead 10-7, mostly due to the strong serving of Stone, which kept Stevenson in-opportune attacking positions. However, the Mustangs did not go down without a fight, pushing back with a 3-0 stretch to level the score at 10-all.
 
The middle portion of the set was all in favor of the Bombers. Lipton sparked a 7-0 stretch for IC with back-to-back kills, while Cerruti added one kill and one solo block and Floyd chipped in a service ace. That run ballooned Ithaca's lead to an insurmountable 20-12 margin. Hershberger, Cerruti and Stone each tallied kills down the stretch, while senior middle Ruby Dyson delivered the clinching finish with a big kill inside the left sideline to seal the 25-17 win and the match.
 
Stone was the lone player on either side to hit double digits in kills for the match. She finished with a double-double, her eighth of the season, posting 12 kills and 11 digs. The sophomore talent added three service aces and two block assists.
 
Lipton chipped in six kills and three digs on the opposite side, while Hershberger delivered two kills, two digs, a solo block, and a block assist.
 
In the middle, Evans posted another efficient outing with nine kills on .500 hitting. She also posted two solo blocks. Cerruti added to the effort with three kills, while she had her best blocking outing since her return from injury, registering one solo and three block assists. Dyson added the one kill on two total swings.
 
Floyd distributed the offense well for the second straight night. She marked 29 assists and three kills, offensively. She added eight digs.
 
The backline was led by senior libero Tara Stilwell's 16 digs. First-year Jordyn Lyn Hayashi finished with four digs and three service aces, while Hailey Adler posted five digs and a pair of aces. Sophomore Delaney Runyon marked one service ace.
 
Ithaca will be back in action tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. when it faces Carnegie Mellon in a much-anticipated rematch that has some poetic justice accompanying the match. The Tartans bested the Bombers in four sets during the final weekend of the regular-season in match played on CMU's home court in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. IC will look to flip the script on Sunday in order to earn a return trip to the Steel City for next weekend's NCAA Championship Rounds.