MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's volleyball team got the ball rolling on its 2019 postseason on Friday evening when it traveled to the North Country for the Liberty League Tournament, hosted by Clarkson University. The Bombers got off to a flying start to postseason, racing past RIT in three-sets (25-18, 25-20, 25-22) to punch their ticket to tomorrow's Championship Match and a rematch against the Golden Knights.
 
Ithaca entered the weekend coming off perhaps its best performance of the season a week ago in a pair of strong performances at nationally-ranked No. 23 Johnson & Wales and No. 20 Wesleyan (Conn.). The Bombers certainly looked to continue that roll on Friday night, putting together one of their most comprehensive performances of the season to dispatch another talented regionally-ranked foe in the third-seeded Tigers. IC shown in all facets of the match. Offensively, IC racked up 42 kills on a scintillating .305 hitting percentage, while the squad also posted 45 digs in the three-set triumph. However, the Bombers biggest and probably most encouraging development from the evening was the team's performance from the service line. Ithaca racked up 12 service aces, one of its season-high, while IC's two errors in receiving tied a season-low. That area of the game was the storyline tonight, as IC turned to its strong serve game to generate significant leads in all three sets en route to the win.
 
"I'm very proud of the work ethic that we brought to the court today, especially our tenacity on defense," head coach Johan Dulfer said. "I thought that we showed a lot of poise in the moment and remained calm during several hectic points and were able to come out on top on many of them, which I think really made a big difference tonight."
 
Offensively, Ithaca was paced by junior right side Reagan Stone who delivered a phenomenal performance in the clutch. She posted a match-high 16 kills on scintillating .387 hitting success, while the third-year talent finished with half of Ithaca's 12 service aces on the night, finishing just one of her previous career high.
 
The Bombers were well equipped on the opposite pin as well. Sophomore Alison Lipton and junior Sarah Jennison combined 13 kills and four digs, several of those scoring finishes coming in crucial moments during the closely contested second and third sets. Lipton capped the evening with seven kills and two digs, while Jennison delivered six kills on .263 hitting success and two digs as well.
 
In the middle, first-year Jennifer Pitts was her typical efficient self in a masterful performance for the rookie in her postseason debut. She capped the evening with seven kills on a team-best .538 hitting clip. Defensively, she registered two digs and two block assists, while also chipping in one service ace. Sophomore Monet Peoples added two kills on a modest six swings to finish with a .333 hitting mark.
 
Senior setter Caitlyn Floyd was once-again flawless in her distribution of Ithaca's attack. She finished the match with 33 assists, while stuffing the stat sheet with two kills (.333 hitting), two block assists, and five digs.
 
The IC backline was also a key storyline, putting together one of its finest efforts of the year. Sophomore libero Jordyn Lyn Hayashi put on a show for the Bomber faithful on Friday night, a traveling contingent that included her mother, who came all the way from Hawaii to chilly Potsdam for the occasion. The second-year talent posted 13 digs, as well as two service aces and two assists. Many of Ithaca's scoring runs came with her on serve throughout the evening. The first-year tandem of Hannah Hughes and Grace Isaksen also delivered huge on the big stage. Hughes finished with 10 digs, while Isaksen marked seven digs and chipped in a massive serving effort with three aces. Sophomore Jaelyn Hershberger continued to fill a key role in the back, posting four digs and delivering her first kill of the season since returning to the court from injury.
 
The tone for the match was set within the opening moments, as Ithaca established an early lead behind some dominant work from the service line. IC opened up a four-point edge behind three early service aces – two coming from Stone and one from Isaksen – to jump Ithaca into a 7-3 lead. Stone, Jennison and Pitts also added kills during the stretch. Although RIT kept things relatively close over the ensuing handful of rallies, Ithaca broke things open with a 5-0 scoring run to double-up the Tigers at 16-8 midway through the opening frame. Hayashi's serve powered the run. The Hilo, Hawaii, native marked one ace during the run, while Floyd, Pitts and Stone notched kills. Ithaca easily held on for the set win, with Jennison providing the clinching kill in the 25-18 win.
 
Ithaca finished the opening set with a robust 13 kills on a fantastic .423 hitting rate.
 
The second set was closely battled between the two sides, before IC again struck with the first significant run of the frame to pull ahead. Leading by a single point at 9-8, Ithaca rattled off a 7-2 scoring run to gain a six-point margin. Lipton and Stone sparked the run with kills, while Stone put the bookend on it with two service aces to push IC ahead 16-10. A subsequent 4-1 scoring run widened Ithaca's lead to 20-13 late into the game with Stone, Pitts and Floyd each marking a kill during the sequence. RIT did not back down and rallied back with a 7-2 run of its own to pull back within two points at 22-20, forcing Ithaca to burn a timeout. The Bombers turned to their reigning All-American duo out of the break and the pair certainly delivered. Floyd set up Stone for a scoring finish to get the crucial side-out, while a second kill by Stone, this time setup by a Hayashi bump, put IC with four set-point opportunities. IC only needed the one, as Hayashi capped the 3-0 run to close out the set with a service ace.
 
Riding the momentum from its two-set lead, IC rattled off three separate 3-0 scoring runs to take an early six-point edge in the decisive third set. Stone posted two service aces during the second of those aforementioned three-point surges, while Pitts and Lipton powered the third run with kills. The Tigers again did not go quietly, as the Tigers bounced back to close within two-points several times through the sets middle portion, but each time IC got the side-out it needed to maintain the lead. A 3-0 scoring run which featured a kill from Jennison and back-to-back scoring strikes from Stone gave IC just enough breathing room to feel comfortable down the stretch at 23-18. Although the Tigers rallied back to within two points, IC was able to take two of the final three points to clinch the match. Jennison provided the clinching swing on a cross-court hammer strike to the deep middle of the court.
 
"At the end of the day we are extremely happy to be moving on and are looking forward to getting a rematch against Clarkson tomorrow," Dulfer concluded.
 
Ithaca will be back on the court tomorrow afternoon to take-on tournament host and top-seeded Clarkson at 4:00 p.m.