ITHACA, N.Y. – The eighth-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team got its much anticipated 2018 season underway on Friday evening before a packed house at Ben Light Gymnasium when it welcomed second-ranked Calvin in the first day of the Bomber Invitational. Sadly, the Bombers were unable to send the fans home happy, as the dynamic Knights edged IC in a closely contested three-set affair (25-20, 25-23, 25-19). The loss sends IC into tomorrow's two-match slate with an 0-1 record.
 
Playing in front of what possibly might have been the largest home crowd in Ithaca Volleyball's 50-year history, the home side certainly showcased their dynamic talent despite ultimately not being able to score its desired result. Nearly 1,000 raucous fans roared repeatedly throughout the evening as the high-flying Bombers hung toe-to-toe against one of the elite programs in Division III Women's Volleyball. In the end, it was equal bits early season rust and jitters that proved to be the difference, as the more-seasoned Knights, already with a three-set victory over Stevens under their belt in the opening match of the day, came up with the crucial plays in each set to pull away late.
 
Despite the defeat, Ithaca can take several encouraging themes from the first contest. The Bombers out-paced the Knights in kills 39-to-36 and out-digged one of the most dynamic attacking teams in the country 43-to-31. However, Ithaca will look to clean up its serve-receive, which certainly looked shaky throughout stretches of the evening. The passing troubles led to an 8-to-3 advantage for the visitors in service aces, while 23 IC attacking errors also were a product of some out-of-system play created by poor first-ball passing.
 
A bright spot on the day was the performance of senior middle hitter Amanda Cerruti. After breaking out on a the national stage during last year's NCAA Tournament, the West Islip, N.Y., native continued that momentum into 2018. She registered a team-high 11 kills and three block assists, finishing with a .421 hitting clip.
 
Senior libero Tara Stilwell also turned in a strong effort on the evening with 18 digs, while also accumulating a pair of kills in out-of-system scrambles.
 
The pin hitting also had its moments throughout the evening. Sophomore Reagan Stone got off to a solid start to her second collegiate campaign, finishing the night with eight kills on 21 swings (.190 hitting). She will look to build upon that effort in the second day of tournament action. First-year Alison Lipton also performed well under the lights, as one of three rookies to make their IC debuts on the evening. She marked seven kills on 18 attacks (.167 hitting), while she also accounted for all three of IC's service aces. It was an confidence-building debut for the young Bomber pin-hitter. Junior outside Taylor McCarthy and sophomore outside Sarah Jennison added two kills and two digs apiece. The group will be further bolstered by expected rookie contributor Jaelyn Hershberger who was dressed, but held out of action after suffering a small injury in the preseason.
 
In the middle, senior Katie Evans scored four kills on 10 swings, while also notching one solo block.
 
Junior setter Caitlyn Floyd did well despite not having the luxury of a clean pass for stretches of play. She finished with 34 assists, while also adding four digs, two block assists, and two kills.
 
An area that figures to warm to the task as the season continues is the back row, which sported two more fresh faces in newcomers Laura Severance and Jordyn Lyn Hayashi. The Hilo, Hawaii, native Hayashi garnered her first collegiate start, finishing with six digs. Severance marked three digs and two assists. Both players showcased the elite quality that made them priority recruits for head coach Johan Dulfer and will look to build on their experience against one of the most challenging opponents they will face this season. Senior defensive specialist Hailey Adler chipped in four digs and one kill as well.
 
The chances were there for the taking in each of the three sets. Unfortunately, the comfort level in the clutch moments favored Calvin and it used that advantage to pull away late in each frame.
 
In the opening set, the Bombers used a 7-3 scoring run to evaporate a 16-12 deficit to tie score at 19-19. Block assists by Floyd and Cerruti, coupled with kills by Lipton and Stilwell deadlocked the score and prompted a visitor timeout. The Knights responded out of the break, rattling off a 6-1 scoring run to take the frame 25-20.
 
In the second set, it was actually Ithaca that held the early advantage. A 5-1 scoring run, punctuated by kills from Evans, McCarthy and Stilwell put IC up 14-10, prompting another Calvin timeout. The Bombers had the chance to extend the lead coming out of the breather, but Stone was unable to capitalize on an over pass on the ensuing serve. The Knights used the miss to their advantage, clawing back to level terms later in the set.
 
A 3-0 scoring run, which featured a Stone kills sandwiched between two Lipton finishes again put IC up 22-21 down the stretch. However, the Knights went back to their bread-and-butter out of the timeout, with reigning AVCA First Team All-American Anna Kamp marking three kills down the stretch to see out the crucial swing set 25-23.
 
With momentum in the gym really deflated, the Bombers struggled out of the gates in the third set. Sloppy play allowed the Knights to race out to a 14-4 advantage; however, Dulfer's side showed excellent resilience, which could be used as building block moving forward. Riding the strong serving of Lipton and the hitting of Cerruti, Ithaca used 4-0 and 6-0 scoring runs to claw all the way back to within a single point at 18-17. Unfortunately, the Bombers got caught in another challenging rotation that the Knights converted into a 7-2 run to see out the match.
 
Ithaca returns to action tomorrow morning when it opens the second day of Bomber Invite action against New York Region rival Stevens at 11:00 a.m. The Ducks dropped both of their contests against No. 2 Calvin and No. 17 Juniata during the first day of play. IC concludes the tournament tomorrow afternoon when it faces No. 17 Juniata at 4:00 p.m.