MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Ithaca College women's volleyball team was back on the court on Saturday afternoon when it capped the final regular-season road trip at 20^th-ranked Wesleyan (Conn.). The Bombers rallied for their biggest resume win of the year, storming back from down two sets to clip the Cardinals in a thrilling five-set comeback (21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-10). The win improves IC's record to 17-9 on the year heading into next weekend's Liberty League Tournament, set to be hosted by Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y.
 
"We learned a lot about persistence today," head coach Johan Dulfer said. "I didn't think we got off the bus ready to play particularly well and it took us a little while to find our stride. Wesleyan is a very good program and has very few, if any, weaknesses. Once we settled into our serving and showed more purpose and conviction in that area we started to assert ourselves in other aspects of our game. I'm incredibly proud of the resilience we showed to battle back after digging that hole and securing a big win in that comeback fashion."
 
For the second time in as many days, IC stacked up right there against one of the top programs in the Northeast Region. Although fatigue certainly was prevalent in the match having just battled nationally-ranked Johnson & Wales in another five-set slog less than 24-hours earlier, IC showcased impressive mental fortitude and grit in today's coming-of-age victory. The Bombers held edges in most of the counting stats, holding leads of 65-to-58 in kills, 8-to-6 in service aces, 11-to-6 in total blocks and 85-to-81 in digs.
 
Junior right-side Reagan Stone turned in a heroic performance in IC's comeback win. The Bombers leaned on her throughout and she responded exactly like you would expect of a former All-American. She registered a season-high 33 kills on a strong .321 hitting clip. She also delivered on the defensive end, amassing her second double-double of the weekend and seventh of the season with 17 digs, while also adding one solo block and two block assists.
 
Chipping in efforts on the outside were sophomore Alison Lipton, junior Sarah Jennison, and first-year Camryn O'Leary. Lipton notched nine kills on .214 hitting, while also adding three digs and two block assists. Jennison posted five kills on 16 total swings (.188 hitting), as well as two digs. O'Leary delivered four kills and four digs on the day.
 
In the middle, first-year Jennifer Pitts led the way with another strong two-way effort. She finished with nine kills on .261 hitting, while also registering two solo blocks, three block assists, and three digs. Sophomore Monet Peoples chipped in some contributory offense with two kills, while junior Katie Basey added one kill and a match-best five block assists.
 
Senior setter Caitlyn Floyd was quite fluid in her distribution of the attack, repeatedly delivering accurate and smart service to her hitters. She posted a season-best 58 assists in the match, while she also notched a double-double with 12 digs. She further contributed to the stat sheet with one kill and four block assists, as well as two service aces.
 
The backline was paced by sophomore libero Jordyn Lyn Hayashi. She racked up 17 digs, while also adding three service aces, two assists, and one kill. First-year Hannah Hughes also had a strong match with 17 digs and one helper. Classmate Grace Isaksen chipped in eight digs, while also tying Hayashi for a team-high with three service aces. Sophomore Jaelyn Hershberger added one dig.
 
The opening set was a bit of a mixed bag for IC. Although the Bombers put together stretches of quality play, nine attacking errors and some general sloppiness prevented Ithaca from securing an early lead in the match. IC held a couple of modest leads during the middle portion of the set; however, a 5-1 scoring run by the Cardinals pushed the hosts ahead for good at 20-18. The hosts capped the opening set on a 5-3 scoring stretch to take the early lead.

The second featured more pressure from the Cardinals, as the hosts jumped out to a 15-9 lead on the strength of two separate 4-0 scoring runs. Ithaca began to plant the seeds for what would become its thrilling comeback down the back stretch of the frame. The Bombers put together a 5-0 scoring surge, which featured four kills from Stone and a scoring swing from Pitts to shave the deficit to a single point at 22-21 late in the game. Although the run ultimately fell short of the mark, as the Cardinals clinched the two-set advantage with a 25-22 win, IC fed off the momentum and began its comeback push in the third.

The first major plot point of the momentum-swinging third set came during the midway point. With both sides locked in a tight battle, the Bombers rattled off five consecutive points to gain some separation at 16-12. O'Leary, Pitts and Stone each notched kills during the stretch, while Hayashi marked one of her three service aces on the day during the stretch. The Cardinals battled back, slowing chipping away at the IC lead until the sides found themselves deadlocked at 23-all, causing the home crowd to rumble sensing the clinching point was in sight. The Bombers showed excellent composure to remain calm in the moment. Wesleyan's Mia Hogan, who single-handedly powered a 3-0 run to tie the match at 23-23, sent an attack wide of the mark to put IC in position to extend the match. Hayashi provided the clinching point with another big service ace.

The fourth set began similarly to the previous one, as the two sides battled closely, before a lengthy IC scoring run at the midway point broke things open. This time it was a 6-0 surge for the Bombers, as Stone marked three kills and Floyd added a service ace to highlight the stretch that put IC up 15-10. A subsequent 6-1 stretch effectively sealed the fourth set in favor of the Bombers shortly after. Pitts and O'Leary posted kills during the stretch, while Floyd and Pitts combined on a block. Ithaca emerged from the run with a commanding 23-15 lead and easily saw out the set on a kill from Lipton.

The wave of momentum looked to have been stymied early in the fifth set with the Cardinals jumping out to an early 3-1 edge. However, Ithaca responded with a 5-0 surge that featured to kills from Stone and one service ace from Hayashi. Unfortunately, the run was counteracted by a 5-1 stretch by Wesleyan, giving the hosts a narrow 8-7 lead at the crossover. The two sides traded the next four rallies, before Ithaca dug deep for its most meaningful scoring run of the season to-date. Trailing 10-9 after a big Wesleyan combo block, IC capped the set on a 6-0 run to clinch the match. The offense and defense shown brightly during the big moment. Stone delivered the early goods, nailing a tying kill, before combining with Basey on a block to push Ithaca ahead 11-10. Floyd followed with a service ace, while the senior setter dumped an attack on the next rally to help IC open up a 13-10 edge. Wesleyan burned its final timeout to try to stem the tide, but the Cardinals sent an errant attack wide of the line, before Basey and Lipton sealed the win with another big combo block.

Ithaca returns to action on Friday, November 8, when the Bombers head to Potsdam, New York, for the Liberty League Tournament. The Bombers will be in the second Semifinal Round match of the day, facing third-seeded RIT at 7:30 p.m. Top-seed Clarkson will play host to fourth-seeded St. Lawrence in the first Semifinal Round match of the day at 5:00 p.m.