ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's volleyball team got its Liberty League slate underway on Friday evening when the Bombers welcomed Union to Ben Light Gymnasium. IC made it 3-for-3 in Liberty League openers, proving to have too much fire-power for the Dutchwomen in a straight-sets triumph (25-20, 25-19, 25-23). The win improves Ithaca's record to 9-5 on the year and 1-0 in Liberty League play.
 
For the second straight time this week it was a bit of a frantic start for the Bombers; however, Ithaca again really grew into the match as it continued. IC improved its hitting percentage in each successive set, capping the match with 15-kill, .243 hitting mark in the clinching third set. The Bombers finished the night with a hefty 40-to-28 edge in kills and 58-to-44 advantage in digs.
 
"It is always great to begin Liberty League play with a victory over a good opponent," head coach Johan Dulfer said. "Although it was not our sharpest performance of the season by any means, I was really proud of the poise and calmness that we played with. We stayed the course and grew into the match and really took care of business and that's what you have to do when you get into Liberty League play."
 
Offensively, it was not as prolific an attacking performance as the Bombers have repeatedly put forward through the early part of the season. IC shook off its early funk to have several players turn in strong performances.
 
At the pins, junior Sarah Jennison had another fantastic match coming off her career-best 14-kill performance against Cortland on Wednesday. She was the lone player in the match to notch double-digit kills, finishing with 10 on a dazzling .421 hitting percentage. She also registered six digs and one solo block defensively. Sophomore Alison Lipton also formed a strong complement to Jennison, notching nine kills and three digs.
 
Junior right-side Reagan Stone was not at her typical best, but still rallied to impact the stat sheet in several areas. She finished with seven kills, while also adding two service aces offensively. Defensively, she tallied one solo block, two block assists, and five digs.
 
In the middle, the Bombers benefited from the return of sophomore Monet Peoples who was back in the lineup following a four-match absence. She turned in a sharp effort with five kills on .267 hitting, while also delivering two block assists. First-year Jennifer Pitts also was a solid outlet of offense and defense, finishing with six kills, one solo block, and three digs.
 
Senior setter Caitlyn Floyd once-again facilitated an excellent offense for the Bombers. She finished with a tidy 31-assist performance, while also picking up Ithaca's lone double-double with 11 digs. She also chipped in two kills and a big solo block during the clinching third set.
 
Ithaca's backline also was quite sharp despite not facing significant challenges from Union's error-prone attack. Sophomore Laura Severance led the group with a nine digs, while also adding one assist. First-year Hannah Hughes posted eight digs, while classmate Grace Isaksen finished with seven digs. Sophomore libero Jordyn Lyn Hayashi chipped in six digs and three assists.
 
It was a bit of a sluggish start to the match for the Bombers, as some unforced errors and some shaky play out of system allowed the visitors to jump out to an early advantage. IC remained within striking distance, before taking control of matters midway through the frame. Jennison, Pitts and Floyd notched kills to power a 7-1 scoring run to pull ahead 17-13.
 
Although Union would close the margin all the way to within one points at 20-19, IC rallied to close the set with an emphatic finish. Jennison sparked a 5-1 run to close the set with a kill. Stone followed with a solo block, while Pitts delivered her fourth kill of the set. Union got a side-out to briefly stem the run, but Jennison responded with a quick kill down the line, while the Dutchwomen committed an attack error to deliver the opening set to the Bombers 25-20.
 
"Union came in with a good strategy to really frustrate us with tips," Dulfer explained. "I thought we did a good job of regrouping and finding ways to attack their weak points as the match continued."
 
Ithaca gained confidence from the opening set win and came up with a fast start to the second set. IC jumped out to an early lead and maintained a multi-point advantage until breaking things open midway through the set. Lipton sparked a 6-1 scoring surge for the hosts, while Stone capped the run with back-to-back kills to double-up Union at 16-8. Although the Dutchwomen rallied with a 5-0 run to force and IC timeout with the Bombers still holding a 20-16 edge, the Bombers easily saw things out down the stretch. Floyd, Peoples and Lipton each marked kills over the final five points to snag the commanding two-set lead.
 
The third-set had the looks of being a runaway win for the Bombers during the early portion, as Ithaca raced out to a quick multi-point edge. However, Union did not go down easily, battling back to tie the set at 17-all, 19-all, and 21-all. Floyd sparked the clinching final stretch for the Bombers with a huge solo block, while Lipton followed with a kill to give IC a 23-21 lead. Floyd added a kill to put IC in position for the win at 24-22, while Lipton finished off an excellent rally for the Bombers just one-point later with a big kill down the left sideline to win 25-23.
 
Ithaca will be back in action for a doubleheader at Ben Light Gymnasium tomorrow afternoon and evening. First, IC will continued Liberty League play against Skidmore at 2:00 p.m. The Bombers will then cap the day with a 6:00 p.m. match against NYU.