ITHACA, N.Y. - The Ithaca College volleyball team stumbled against Scranton in a 3-1 loss, 19-25, 21-25, 25-14, 18-25 on Friday evening at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Royals improved to 15-2 on the season, while the Bombers fell to 8-7 with the loss, snapping their three-match winning streak.
Offensively, the Bombers have averaged a .194 hitting percentage this season, but that trend was not quite in store on Friday as IC was outhit .260-to-.184 in the match. Despite this margin, Ithaca bested Scranton with 49-to-47 total kills in the loss. The two teams previously met in early September with Scranton edging the Bombers in a narrow five-set thriller.
Paris Buckner was once again a force on all sides of the ball, as evidenced by her team-high 10 kills and three aces on a .353 hitting percentage. Outside hitter Samantha Klemm looked sharp between the lines as well, racking up seven kills, five digs, and three aces.
A tip of the cap is in order for Jamie Koopman's performance on the floor. The sophomore clocked out with nine kills and two digs in addition to an ultra-efficient .412 hitting percentage. Jaelyn Hershberger followed with six kills and eight digs in the match.
It was a dog fight in the early stages of the opening set, as the Bombers found themselves ahead 15-12 at the midway point. That is before Scranton rattled off nine-straight points to find acushion and jump in front 23-16. Behind middle hitter Eryn Boken's two kills in the final moments, the Royals outlasted IC for a 25-19 triumph in the first set.
Ithaca was locked in another close set in the second, holding a slim 18-13 lead until Scranton battled back and ripped off five points in a row to tie things up. The Royals never cooled downthroughout the remainder of the set, as they surged to a narrow 25-21 win.
The Bombers began to find their rhythm in the following setafter going on a seven-point run to take a comfortable 19-11 advantage. Along with the entire frontline, Buckner helped lead Ithaca to an emphatic third set, finishing with four kills en route to a 25-14 win.
Unfortunately, the Bombers were unable to carry that momentum into the fourth and final set. Scranton dazzled on offense and controlled the set from start to finish, garnering 15 kills and never trailing once. The Royals coasted to a 25-18 win to put the match away.
Even though she did not see action on the floor, senior Jordyn Lyn Hayashi recently surpassed 1,000 career digs as a Bomber. The Hawaii native will look to boost her remarkable stat line heading into this weekend.
The Bombers will continue their non-conference slate tomorrow afternoon, October 2 when the team heads north to Clinton, N.Y. for a tri-match against Bowdoin College and Hamilton College. IC squares off against Bowdoin at 2 p.m. and is scheduled to face Hamilton at 4 p.m.
