ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College volleyball program kicked off the 2022 Bomber Invitational with a nail-biting match against the Swarthmore Garnet. Despite the back-and-forth rallying continuing for five sets, Ithaca prevailed to earn their first victory of the season. This win gives the Bombers a 1-0 record going into the rest of the invitational where they will square off against SUNY Geneseo (1 p.m.) and No. 19 Gustavus Adolphus (6.p.m.) on Saturday in Ben Light Gymnasium.
 
Ithaca came out strong, outscoring the Garnet 101-89 in total points scored over the five-setter. The Bombers were relentless on both offense and defense racking up 57 Kills and 61 Digs. Swarthmore trailed closely behind, but their efforts were not enough to take down Ithaca's powerhouse.
 
VS. SWARTHMORE (17-25, 25-18, 25-10, 19-25, 15-11)
 

• Swarthmore dominated the first set opening it up with a kill from Hannah Humphrey's. Ithaca only held a one-point lead for one play of the entire set with a kill from first year Maddie Cox who caught the front line sleeping with a nice push over the net. After taking back the lead, the Garnet's offense took off beating the Bombers by a 25-17 score, taking a 1-0 advantage.
• The Bombers came out stronger in the second set with a powerful kill by sophomore outside hitter Faith Sabatier. Ithaca was relentless from start to finish maintaining the lead for almost the entire set. Alexandra Montgomery along with multiple Sabatier kills brought the Bombers success in this set to tie up the match 1-1.
• Ithaca took control of the third set early on, taking advantage of multiple attacking errors from Swarthmore. Strong hits from Montgomery, Sabatier, and Aleka Darko helped to maintain their offensive momentum, winning the third set with the largest lead of the night, 25-10.
• The Bombers looked to be in control in the start of the fourth set getting an early 5-0 lead, but Swarthmore did not give up, making the set extremely close until the last point. Despite strong kills from Darko, Montgomery, and first year Leila Chipepo, the Bombers fell short losing the set 25-19
• Ithaca's strong offensive and defensive efforts prevailed, leading them to finish the fifth set with a 15-11 win.

 
REACTION FROM HEAD COACH JOHAN DULFER
 

• On playing a five-setter to begin the season: "We all had to go through this and figure out where we stood this early in the season. I thought we battled hard and stayed together, despite the early set back. I was most proud of how we battled back after the setback in the fourth set. Swarthmore made some really good adjustments, going with their 6-2, and it threw us off, but I loved how we found strength in our serve/pass game to recover."
• On the high energy displayed at Ben Light Gymnasium in their season-opener: "The energy this year about this team is special. I think they are all in it for each other. I hope it continues to be a selfless atmosphere because it could lead to lots of great moments this year."

This exciting first match sets up the Bombers for their second game of the 2022 Bomber Invitational tomorrow. With strong performances from Faith Sabatier, Alexandra Montgomery, and Leila Chipepo, Ithaca looks to come out strong again tomorrow and in the rest of their season.