SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The 24^th-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team was back on the court on Friday night when it tipped off the first of two day's of action at the Hampton Inn River Hawk Invitational, hosted by Susquehanna University. The Bombers scored their gutsiest win to-date this season, storming back to defeat a talented Mary Washington squad in a five-set come-from-behind thriller (25-20, 23-25, 23-25, 25-12, 15-13). The win improves Ithaca's record to 7-3 on the year and extends the team's winning streak to five consecutive matches.
 
Friday's match certainly showcased a resilient IC outfit and perhaps the team's best all-around performance of the year. The young Bombers delivered a poised a determined effort, continuing to grow together as the season enters its fourth weekend. After jumping out to an early lead with a 25-20 win in the opening set, Mary Washington responded with a pair of narrow wins by 25-23 margins in the next two sets to jump into the lead. Ithaca did not shy away from the pressure, responding with a resounding win in the fourth set to extend the match to a decisive fifth frame. The final set was a thrilling back-and-forth battle, which witnessed the Bombers ultimately prevail in a 15-13 nail-biter.

"Tonight was such an encouraging step forward for us as a team," head coach Johan Dulfer. "I am incredibly proud of how we battled through adversity throughout the match and really grew into the match as it transpired. Overall, we are very happy to pull out a strong victory over a good program in Mary Washington."
 
Ithaca's attack was humming from the outset and posted its best outing in terms of numbers this season. The Bombers racked up a season-high 69 kills, converting at a scintillating .233 hitting percentage across the entire match. IC posted a .220-plus hitting mark in four of the five sets in the match, which included a match-best .318 success rate on nine kills during the ultimate fifth set.
 
Leading the way for the Bombers was a strong performance by IC's pin hitters. Junior right-side Reagan Stone delivered an inspired performance, posting 23 kills on a scorching .426 hitting clip. She added nine digs, two block assists, and one service ace. Sophomore Alison Lipton also had a strong match with 13 kills on 43 attacks, while junior Sarah Jennison also topped the double-digit kill mark with 11 kills on .290 hitting success, as well as six digs and one block assist. First-year Camryn O'Leary also supplemented the attack on the outside. The first-year notched three kills on nine swings.
 
In the middle, first-year Jennifer Pitts continued to be an efficient source of offense for the Bombers. She recorded her second double-digit kill outing of the year, posting 10 kills on a .217 conversion rate. She also added three block assists. Alongside the rookie, junior Katie Basey finished with four kills and team-best four block assists.
 
Senior setter Caitlyn Floyd was the facilitator of IC's prolific attack, putting deliveries right where they needed to be throughout the match. She finished with a season-best 56 assists, while she also added five kills, two service aces, as well as four digs and tying Basey's mark with four block assists.
 
The backline also held up well despite some stern pressure from Mary Washington from the service line and the attacking pins throughout the evening. Sophomore Jordyn Lyn Hayashi paced the group with a season-high 27 digs, while she also added four assists. First-year Grace Isaksen also topped double-digits, finishing with 14 digs and one ace, while classmate Hannah Hughes added seven digs, two aces, and one assist. Sophomore Laura Severance continued to provide an experienced calmness to the backline, while the second-year registered four digs in her lone set of action.
 
Ithaca came out firing during the opening set behind the lively-armed swinging arms of Stone and Jennison. The junior duo recorded six kills between them during the opening half of the first set, which led to a 10-4 IC lead. The Bombers maintained the edge through the middle portion of the set, before taking firm control with a 4-0 run spearheaded by kills from Jennison and Floyd. Lipton marked two kills down the stretch, as IC salted away the opening set win by a margin of 25-20.

"Tonight's match was interesting that we really got off to a strong start, which hasn't always been the case for us this season," Dulfer continued. "We came out with a lot of energy and really set the tone early."
 
The second set saw the script reversed, as Mary Washington gained the upper hand early en route to a 13-6 lead at the midway point of the frame. The Bombers showed their guile to battle back, stringing together a 6-1 scoring run that featured two kills and a block from Basey and a service ace from Hughes to shave the deficit to 14-12. A subsequent 6-0 scoring run shortly thereafter had the Bombers poised to take the set, as Lipton, Jennison and Pitts marked kills to jettison the Bombers into a 21-19 lead. Unfortunately, surged back with a 5-1 spurt to earn a pair of set-point opportunities. Although IC was able to stave off the first chance on a nice kill by Basey, the Eagles made good on the second chance on a kill by Olivia Casey to even the match with the 25-23 set win.
 
The third set also was contested on a razor thin margin. Again it was Mary Washington that would gain the first true separation in the frame. The Eagles utilized a 9-2 scoring run to open up a 20-14 advantage late in the set. Although the Bombers again would scratch their way back into contention, twice shaving the deficit to a single point at 23-22 and 24-23, the mountain proved too difficult to climb. Mary Washington again would escape with the 25-23 set win to take the 2-1 lead in the match.

"Although we dropped the two sets to fall behind, it was nice to see us be able to battle back from deficits to really give it a run in the end of each set," Dulfer explained. "Between sets we talked about not holding back and really going for it. Every dig, every block, every attack we stressed going all out and I think the team really took that to heart for the remainder of the match."
 
The Bombers responded with their most dominant set of the season in the fourth to extend the match. On the strength of an 8-0 scoring run that was fueled by the strong serving of Floyd and three kills from Stone, IC opened up a hefty 10-2 advantage. The Bombers went on to continue adding to the lead with a 6-0 scoring run that extended IC's lead to a 15-point margin at 19-4. Although the Eagles would scratch some points down the stretch, Ithaca rolled to a 25-12 win to force the fifth set.
 
The final frame of the night had everyone on the edge of their seats, as both sides traded blows. A 3-0 scoring run that featured kills by Pitts and Lipton, sandwiching a combo block from Basey and Floyd, lifted IC to an 8-6 lead at the crossover. The Eagles responded with a 4-0 swing of their own when play resumed after the crossover to put IC's back against the wall. However, Ithaca dug deep with a huge 5-0 swing to gain leverage. Floyd's serve again was the asset the Bombers rode to the lead, as she kept the Eagles out of system, chipping in one ace during the stretch. Lipton punctuated the run with an out-of-system kill to give Ithaca a 13-10 lead. The Bombers turned to their go-to attacker down the stretch. Stone posted the final two kills to clinch things for the Bombers.

"There is something special about five-set matches, fifth-sets are an experience you really cannot replicate," Dulfer concluded. "We came up on the wrong side of one against Berry earlier this year and honestly might not have been ready for that challenge. Tonight I think we really drew from that experience and that certainly helped with the poise that we played with in the fifth tonight. We were able to battle back from some deficits in that fifth set and it really signified a nice step forward in our development."
 
Ithaca will be back on the courts for a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon in the final day of the River Hawk Invitational. In the first match of the day, IC will face Johns Hopkins in the 1:00 p.m. window, while the Bombers conclude the weekend with a clash against tournament-host Susquehanna at 3:00 p.m.