CANTON, N.Y. – The 16^th-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team returned to action on Friday evening, looking to shake off the sour feeling of last weekend's challenging road start in Ohio, when the Bombers opened Liberty League play with a tricky road fixture at St. Lawrence. Although some early match jitters kept things interesting, the Bombers began to look more like themselves from the strong first two weekends, pulling away to down the Saints in four sets (25-19, 17-25, 25-15, 25-20). IC's victory snapped a four-match skid, improving the team's record to 6-5 on the year and more importantly 1-0 in Liberty League action.
 
Tonight's contest was very much a tale of two different matches. The Bombers began the match still looking to regain their form and confidence that was shaken in a tough trip to Wittenberg last weekend. While IC certainly showcased flashes of its high-level talent, inconsistent spurts allowed St. Lawrence to stay in the match during the first two sets. Although IC was able to overcome some of those miscues to pull out the opening set, some shakiness on serve-receive during the second frame paved the way for the Saints to level the match at one-set apiece. However, instead of letting things snowball, the Bombers responded with a dominant effort in the final two frames. Ithaca unleashed an attacking fury, racking up 15 kills on .353 hitting success in the third game and closing things out with a 14-kill performance on .379 hitting in the decisive fourth set.
 
"We really have to give a lot of credit to St. Lawrence tonight," head coach Johan Dulfer said following the match. "They have gotten off to a strong start to this season and looked tough when we did film study this week and that certainly was evident out on the court tonight. They are a much improved team and are going to give the League trouble this season. Anytime you can score road victory in Liberty League play that is huge and I'm happy our team was able to rise to the challenge and get the job done this evening."
 
Leading the way for IC was a monster effort from sophomore outside hitter Reagan Stone. The Saints had no answer all evening for the second-year talent, as Stone racked up a season-high 24 kills on .452 hitting success in the match. The sophomore's success was not just limited to attacking swings, as she also was able to mark three service aces and four digs. Making that level of production even more impressive was that Stone had been dealing with illness in the lead up to tonight's match and was a game-time decision if she would be able to play.
 
Opposite Stone, the Bombers received significant contributions from sophomore Sarah Jennison and freshman Alison Lipton, while junior Taylor McCarthy and freshman Jaelyn Hershberger also saw action on the night. Hershberger got the start, notching one kill on eight attacks over two games of action. McCarthy registered a kill, block assist and dig over two sets. IC turned to Jennison and Lipton down the stretch. Jennison marked a season-best six kills on .222 hitting success, while also adding a pair of digs. Lipton did not appear until the final two frames, posting six kills on .750 hitting and chipping in one dig.
 
In the middle, senior Katie Evans led IC's production. She finished with five kills on .231 hitting, while she also marked a solo block and two digs. Sophomore Katie Basey picked up two kills on seven swings, while she also added a block assist. First-year Monet Peoples posted one kill on five attacks.
 
Defensively, the backline was paced by senior libero Tara Stilwell and first-year defensive specialist Jordyn Lyn Hayashi. Both players tied for the match high with 14 digs apiece. Stilwell added one kill, two assists, and two service aces. Senior Hailey Adler chipped in seven digs, one service ace, and one kill out of the back. First-year Laura Severance posted two digs on the night, while sophomore Delaney Runyon added one service ace in a serving specialist role.
 
Junior setter Caitlyn Floyd definitely seemed to be in her groove from the start. She directed the IC attack well, posting 45 assists, eight digs, and three kills.
 
The first set really came down to two lengthy IC scoring runs during the back half of the frame that proved to be the difference. Trailing 14-11, Ithaca was able to string together a 6-0 run keyed by two kills from Stone and a Stilwell service ace to take a 17-14 lead. While the Saints were twice able to cut the deficit to a single point, the Bombers took control of the opening set 5-0 scoring surge that featured kills from Floyd and Stilwell, as well as an ace from Runyon. The Bombers capped the set win when Hershberger spiked a kill through the gritty Saints defense to seal the 25-19 win.
 
"I was really impressed by St. Lawrence's defensive tenacity, especially the back line," Dulfer continued. "They did an excellent job of keeping rallies alive and making us work for every single point. There were several points that we won where it took four-or-five swings to finally put a point away and that was a testament to their players for sacrificing to keep plays alive."
 
The second set was all about the serve-receive game, which the Saints won decisively to even the match at a set apiece. Four IC service errors and six St. Lawrence aces highlighted a forgettable set for IC, as the Saints took control and never looked back midway through the game. Although the Bombers struggled to pass the ball effectively, the signs were still there that a positive result was there for the taking tonight, as IC posted 11 kills at .240 hitting in the frame.
 
"I think tonight showed the benefit of playing the strong non-league schedule that we did to begin the year," Dulfer explained. "St. Lawrence tested us in a lot of the same ways that many of our opponents through these first three weeks. Part of an evolution of a young team is rising to that challenge and learning to win on the road and I'm glad that we stayed the course, didn't try to over-play situations and kept grinding to earn the result."
 
The match was all IC after conceding the second set. Ithaca showed excellent resilience to deliver an emphatic win in the third set to take back control and shut down St. Lawrence's momentum swing.
 
The run started early on, as a 6-1 scoring run highlighted by a Stilwell ace, as well as two kills and one ace from Stone helped IC to an 8-3 lead. The Bombers were able to keep the Saints at arm's distance through the middle portion of the set, before pulling away with a 6-1 scoring run that opened up an 18-11 advantage. Stone tallied three kills during the stretch, while Jennison and Peoples added one kill each. Stone went on to add two more kills in the final points of the set, while Floyd chipped in a kill in the 25-15 set win.
 
The fourth set took shape when IC was able to string together a 6-1 scoring run to take the first decisive advantage at 19-13. Four Bombers got in on the act to power the run with Stone, Jennison, Lipton and Evans marking kills for Ithaca. Stone sealed the match with kills on three of the Bombers' final four points to clinch the match with the 25-20 set victory.
 
Ithaca returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it welcomes Clarkson for a pivotal early-season Liberty League bout at Ben Light Gymnasium. Start time for the match is 4:00 p.m.