CORTLAND, N.Y. – The 19^th-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team was back on the road for the first of three non-league match-ups away from the friendly confines of Ben Light Gymnasium this week when the Bombers made the short trip up Route 13 to face local rival SUNY Cortland on Wednesday night. Behind a dominant hitting effort, Ithaca easily dispatched their Central New York rival in three impressive sets (25-19, 25-14, 25-18). The victory extended IC's winning streak to three, improving the Bombers' record to 8-5 on the year.
 
"We have learned so much from playing a highly challenging non-league schedule the first several weeks this season and I think we are starting to see it pay off," head coach Johan Dulfer said following the match. "We talked today about the things that Cortland was trying to do and how we had seen opponents attack us like that earlier this season. Being able to recognize it quicker allowed us to counter quicker and more decisively. I'm especially happy with how composed we stayed when Cortland started to put together small runs. They were very athletic and I thought they served well and attacked with aggressive swings. In the end, we are happy with how we played tonight and how we were able to pull out the win."
 
Cortland was not the only team that was swinging aggressively on Wednesday. Ithaca racked up 34 kills on a season best .325 hitting percentage as a team against the Red Dragons. It was the first time this season that IC eclipsed the .300-mark for team hitting percentage.
 
Leading the way for Ithaca was sophomore Reagan Stone who again topped double-digits in kills for the third straight match and ninth time in 13 matches this season. The outside hitter finished the night with 14 kills on .423 hitting success, while also adding five digs and one block assist. On the other pin, first-year Alison Lipton had an efficient outing with five kills on nine attacks (.556 hitting), while she stuffed the stat sheet with three digs, two block assists, and one service ace.
 
Trying a new rotational setup for the first time tonight, senior Tara Stilwell shifted from her usual libero position to play in a six-rotation hitting role. Her defense remained quite strong with a team-high 10 digs, as well as a solo block and block assist. The hitting was a bit of a development process, as she finished with two kills on 18 swings.
 
In the middle, senior Katie Evans turned in one of her strongest outings of the season. She tallied 10 kills on sensational .714 hitting success on the attacking side. It was her fifth double-digit kill effort of the season. Defensively, she posted a solo block and two block assists. Sophomore middle Katie Basey also turned in a strong effort with two kills on six swings (.333), as well as two block assists.
 
Junior setter Caitlyn Floyd was excellent on Wednesday. She posted 31 assists, five digs and three service aces in a fantastic performance.
 
The backline was anchored by first-year Jordyn Lyn Hayashi who earned her first start as a libero this evening. She posted five digs, one service ace and one assist in a solid effort by the rookie. Senior Hailey Adler marked two service aces, while sophomore Delaney Runyon added one service ace and two digs in a serving specialist role. First-year Jaelyn Hersberger added two digs.
 
The difference in the first set was the middle portion of the frame, as the Bombers strung together a 6-1 scoring run to break open a 15-15 deadlock. Headlining the run was a kill from Evans and service aces from Lipton and Adler. IC closed out the opening-set win with a 4-1 scoring run, which featured a pair of kills from Stone and the clinching kill from Basey.
 
After a small hiccup during the opening moments of the second set, IC dominated the middle frame. Although Cortland began the second game on a 4-1 scoring advantage, an 8-0 scoring surge jettisoned IC into a comfortable lead. Evans notched a solo block and two kills during the stretch, while Lipton added a kill and Stone posted a service ace. A subsequent 6-1 scoring run broke things open, as Floyd posted a service ace, while Evans and Stone registered kills during the surge. Evans and Stone each notched two additional kills during the stretch run to clinch the 2-0 advantage in the match.
 
Cortland showed its fight during the third set, getting off to a strong start and holding a slim lead midway through the frame. The Bombers responded with another significant surge, posting an 8-2 scoring burst to pull ahead 19-16. Stone and Evans each notched two kills, while Evans and Lipton also combined on a block. Runyon chipped in a service ace.
 
The Bombers closed out the straight-set win with a 4-0 run to clinch the match. Floyd marked a pair of aces during the streak and Stone capped off her big night with two additional kills.
 
Ithaca returns to action on Saturday, September 29, when it heads to Fredonia for a tri-match. First, the Bombers will face Capital University at 1:30 p.m., before taking on the hosts at 4:00 p.m.