OWU Highlights | Berry Highlights

ITHACA, N.Y. – The 11^th-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team got its much-anticipated 2019 season underway on Friday afternoon when it tipped off a weekend of high-flying action at the Bomber Invitational. The youthful Bombers were busy on the first day of the campaign, facing Ohio Wesleyan and No. 19 Berry in a challenging day-night doubleheader. IC ended up having to settle for a split on the day, roaring back to defeat Ohio Wesleyan in four sets, before letting one slip away in the final match of the day against nationally-ranked Vikings.
 
No. 11 Ithaca 3 – Ohio Wesleyan 1 (23-25, 25-11, 25-14, 25-22)
IC got action started on the day when it took on a scrappy Battling Bishops squad in the first of three matches inside Ben Light Gymnasium on the day. The contest provided a quality test for an Ithaca outfit that was breaking in several players in new roles. In the end, IC proved too much for the visitors, as Ithaca pulled away to win in four sets.
 
It was a bit of an inauspicious start for the tournament hosts, as Ohio Wesleyan answered the Bombers punch-for-punch in a back-and-forth opening set. Ultimately, the Battling Bishops put on a late charge, stringing together a late run to slip away with the opening set by a razor-thin 25-23 margin.
 
The first set defeat was all the wake-up call the Bombers needed, as IC quickly found its groove and turned in dominant performances in the next two sets. Ithaca put together early leads in both sets, running away for 25-11 and 25-14 set victories. IC's host of attacking options on the outside, headlined by sophomore Alison Lipton and juniors Reagan Stone and Sarah Jennison were too much for Ohio Wesleyan to contend with. The firepower on the outside also opened up some lanes for IC's young middle group, as sophomore Monet Peoples and first-year Jennifer Pitts each notched several kills.
 
The Bombers again jumped out to a convincing lead in the clinching fourth-set, but Ohio Wesleyan did not back down. The visitors closed the gap over the back stretch of the game, shaving an IC margin that sat around six points for the majority of the set. Ultimately, IC turned to Stone late and the reigning All-American certainly delivered with a pair of thunderous kills to help the Bombers clinch things late for the 25-22 set win.
 
No. 11 Ithaca 2 – No. 19 Berry 3 (25-22, 25-19, 22-25, 23-25, 10-15)
No. 11 Ithaca returned to the court for the final match of evening when it took on 19^th-ranked Berry (Ga.) in the feature match of the first-day action at 7:00 p.m. Unfortunately, IC was unable to emerge victorious in the first of six matchups against nationally-ranked opponents on the 2019 schedule. It was a disappointing conclusion to the day for the Bombers, as an early lead was squandered in a match that ended up going the distance.
 
It was a bright start to the day for the Bombers, as the hosts continued the momentum from the opening match win to take a two-sets-to-none lead in the match. In particular, Ithaca's hitting was quite sharp in the early going, with IC converting at a .385 hitting clip in the first set and a solid .243 mark in the second. The strong hitting, especially in the clutch moments late in each frame, offset some shaky serve-receive against Berry's dynamic serving group.
 
The contest turned on its head during the third set, as some fatigue began to settle in for the Bombers playing two matches for the first time this season. Berry's block really clamped down on Ithaca beginning in the third set, while continued strong service kept IC out of system for the majority of the final three frames. Although IC's grit and guile kept the hosts within striking distance in both the third and fourth sets, Ithaca was unable to pull out either frame late. The Vikings would send things the distance with set victories of 25-22 and 25-23.
 
Clearly with an edge in momentum, Berry jumped out on the front foot with a 7-0 scoring run on serve to begin the fifth set. In an encouraging sign, Ithaca showed incredible fight to battle back and close the margin within two points twice at 10-8 and 11-9. Jennison and Stone keyed the run with two kills apiece to close the gap, while Pitts delivered a pair of points with a kill and combo block in conjunction with senior setter Caitlyn Floyd. Unfortunately, the comeback bid was too much to ask, as Berry turned to leading attacker Carson VanCampen for two huge kills to stymie Ithaca's momentum.
 
It was the serve-receive that ultimately proved to be the difference in the contest. Although Ithaca narrowly out-killed Berry 51-to-45, the Vikings held a huge 19-to-5 advantage in aces and used that strong work from serve to also activate its imposing block against IC's out-of-system attack. Berry accumulated three solo blocks and 21 block assists, many of which came during the comeback over the final three sets.
 
Leading the way for IC was Stone, who amassed 23 kills on a match-high 62 attacks. The junior narrowly missed the double-double, finishing with nine digs and adding three block assists. Lipton also hit double-digits for the Bombers, finishing with 13 kills on 41 swings, while adding three digs. Jennison provided solid offense at the opposite pin as well, finishing with nine kills and three digs.
 
In the middle, Pitts posted six kills on a modest 16 attacks. She also added two block assists and one service ace. Sophomore Monet Peoples was IC's defensive leader at the net, posting a huge blocking effort with four solo blocks and three block assists.
 
The backline was keyed by a 19-dig effort from first-year libero Hannah Hughes. Sophomore Jordyn Lyn Hayashi added 15 digs and one service ace, while first-year Grace Isaksen also notched double-digit digs with 10.
 
Floyd had a strong night in distribution, finishing with 44 assists. She notched a double-double with 13 digs, while she also added a pair of kills.
 
Up Next
Ithaca will return to the court tomorrow afternoon for the final match of the Bomber Invitational. The Bombers will face Wisconsin-La Crosse with an approximate start time scheduled for 4:00 p.m.