GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Ithaca College women's volleyball team jumped back into non-league action on Friday when the Bombers tipped off action at the prestigious Midwest Invitational, hosted by perennial National Title contender Calvin College. The day offered IC a pair of big opportunities to bolster its postseason resume with tilts against nationally-ranked foes in No. 20 Hope and No. 2 Calvin. Although the Bombers battled neck-and-neck against two of the Midwest's best programs for much of the day, they were unable to secure a result they were looking for in either match.
 
Ithaca began the day with a 3:00 p.m. neutral-site clash against Hope. Unfortunately, the Flying Dutch were able to capitalize on some early jitters by the Bombers, while some shakiness on serve-receive throughout the match led to a four-set defeat (17-25, 20-25, 25-17, 19-25).
 
IC had little down time, before getting back on the court for the feature match of the evening session during the first day of the invitational. Facing the second-ranked hosts, IC hung tough in two of the three frames, but were unable to prevail in falling in three-sets (21-25, 9-25, 23-25).
 
The two defeats lower IC's record to 13-7 on the year.
 
Ithaca 1 – No. 20 Hope 3 (17-25, 20-25, 25-17, 19-25)
Today's first match was definitely one the Bombers would like to have back. Statistically speaking, Ithaca outplayed Hope in several areas, but were unable to translate that into a big non-league win. IC held advantages of 48-to-44 in kills and 65-to-55 in digs, but it was not enough to overcome a drastic advantage for the Flying Dutch from the service line.
 
Serve-receive was definitely the difference, as Hope racked up nine service aces to just three for the Bombers. Compounding the issue were additional service errors by the Bombers in the match, which costed IC crucial points in what was an otherwise close match.
 
The Bombers definitely suffered from some jitters early, as Hope raced out to a commanding double-digit lead during the early portions of the first set. Although IC began to find its confidence during the latter stretches of the frame, the hole proved too much to bridge in a 25-17 defeat.
 
The second set was another key missed opportunity for the Bombers. IC carried the momentum from its strong finish into the frame, jumping out to an early advantage that extended to as much as five points during the middle portion of the set. IC held a lead for much of the set, but let things slip away late. The Flying Dutch capped the set on a 10-2 scoring run to steal away a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Ithaca was able to extend the match with a confidence building third set. IC again jumped out early, eventually building the lead as high as double-digits. This time IC did not let things slip away late in closing out the 25-17 win.
 
Unfortunately, Ithaca was unable to send the match the distance despite a promising start to the fourth set. The Bombers continued to get off to quick starts, building a modest 5-2 lead in the frame, but Hope kept things close into the latter stages of the set. A 6-1 scoring run by the Flying Dutch proved to be the difference, as Hope broke a 17-all deadlock into a 23-18 lead that effectively sealed the match.
 
Sophomore Alison Lipton posted one of her best outings of the year for IC. She finished the match with 14 kills, as well as one solo block and two block assists. Junior right-side Reagan Stone matched her at the opposite pin with 14 kills on .209 hitting success, while she notched her fifth double-double of the year with 11 digs. Stone also added three block assists and one service ace.
 
First-year Camryn O'Leary chipped in five kills on the outside, while junior Sarah Jennison posted one kill in the match.
 
In the middle, first-year Jennifer Pitts continued her breakout campaign with another precise and steady effort. She finished with 11 kills on a scalding .529 hitting success rate, while she also notched three block assists defensively. Sophomore Monet Peoples was IC's leading blocker with one solo and four block assists, while she also marked one kill.
 
Senior setter Caitlyn Floyd topped the 40-assist mark yet-again, finishing with 42 in the match. She filled out the stat-sheet with five digs, two kills, two block assists, and one service ace.
 
The backline was paced by sophomore libero Jordyn Lyn Hayashi. The second-year talent set a new career high with 30 digs, while she added three assists and one service ace. First-years Grace Isaksen and Hannah Hughes finished with eight digs and six digs, respectively. Sophomore Laura Severance added two digs.
 
Ithaca 0 – No. 2 Calvin 3 (21-25, 9-25, 23-25)
The second match of the day again flashed some positive play for the Bombers, but again consistency issues were what continued to plague the youthful squad in a matchup against one of the preeminent program's in Division III volleyball. The Knights continued Ithaca's frustrations with some extremely tough serving, keeping Ithaca's attack out of system for much of the evening.
 
The margins in the opening set were quite slim. It was actually the Bombers that raced out to an early multi-point advantage, eventually surging forward 10-6 at one point to prompt a timeout by the Knights. Unfortunately, IC was unable to maintain the lead, which the Knights whittled down during the middle portion of the set. The Bombers and Knights remained deadlocked deep into the frame, but the hosts capped the set on a 5-1 scoring run to take the early leg-up in the match.
 
It looked as though Ithaca allowed its struggles down the stretch of the first set to bleed into the second from a mental standpoint. IC was out of sorts, certainly something that cannot be afforded against one of the nation's best teams. The Knights ran away with a convincing 25-9 win to take a stranglehold on the match.
 
IC showed excellent resilience in the third set, playing its best frame of the day in a highly entertaining battle. Again it was the Bombers that raced out to a lead that would fluctuate for much of the game. Ithaca looked poised to extend the match, leading 23-21 after a kill from Pitts and a service ace from junior Delaney Runyon. Sadly, the Bombers were unable to get a crucial side-out after relinquishing serve on the ensuing point. The Knights closed out the set and the match with a 4-0 run that featured four straight kills, two each by Kelsey Smith and Sarah DeVries.
 
Stone led the Bombers offensively with 11 kills, while she also added six digs and two block assists.
 
Secondary offense was hard to come by for IC. At the pins, Lipton posted six kills, while O'Leary finished with four kills. Pitts added five kills in the middle for IC.
 
Floyd narrowly missed out on the double-double, finishing with 26 assists and nine digs.
 
Hayashi once-again paced the backline with 17 digs. Isaksen added four digs, while Hughes finished with three digs and two service aces.
 
Looking Ahead
Ithaca will wrap-up the Midwest Invitational tomorrow afternoon when the Bombers take-on Elmhurst at 12:30 p.m.