ITHACA, N.Y. - The Ithaca College volleyball team outlasted SUNY Geneseo for a gritty 3-1 win, 25-17, 18-25, 25-19, and 25-10 on Wednesday evening at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers improved to 6-6 with the triumph, while the Knights fell to 5-7.
 
Ithaca had 59 kills in the contest and outhit Geneseo .279 to .079. It was the first meeting between the two schools since 2018, which also was a Bombers victory.
 
Graduate student Paris Buckner was a dominant force for the Bombers, leading the team with 17 points and a season-high 13 kills. The Baylor High School product also compiled a team-high three blocks, hitting .400 on the floor. Senior Jaelyn Hershberger continued to hit at a high level as well, finishing with eight kills and eight digs in the match.
 
First year Peyton Miller was strong from the service line while bolstering a team-high four aces. She also dished out 25 assists and added nine digs in the contest. Junior Jennifer Pitts finished with six kills, hitting a team-high .556, and had two digs. Senior Jordyn Lyn Hayashi had three assists and led the unit with 20 digs.
 
The Bombers came out firing on all cylinders and dominated the first set from start to finish, jumping out to an 11-5 lead and never looking back. IC outhit Geneseo .313 to .086 while cruising to a 25-17 win.
 
The second set was nearly a foil of the first, with Geneseo opening things with a 16-9 advantage. The Knights were strong at the net and tallied four blocks, taking it 25-18 to even the match.
 
Both teams were neck and neck in the third set as it was 12-12 at the halfway point. That's before Ithaca gained a little more breathing room by mounting a rally to jump ahead 21-15. Geneseo continued to battle at the net but could not prevail as the Bombers surged to a 25-19 win.
 
IC was focused in what turned out to be the decisive fourth set. The Bombers held a slim 11-8 lead, but eventually seized all of the momentum by ripping off a 13-point run to go up 24-8. Moments later, Hershberger notched a kill to seal the victory with a 25-10 win.
 
Ithaca College's next test marks its first Liberty League matchup of the 2021 campaign, as the team returns to Ben Light Gymnasium and welcome St. Lawrence University to the South Hill on Friday. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.