ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College volleyball team rolled through the first round of the NCAA tournament, defeating Framingham State in three straight sets on their home court, Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers advance to the second round to face Babson on Friday, November 17 at 7 p.m.
VS. Framingham State (25-10, 25-15, 25-21)
The Bombers got out to a fast start, taking an early 3-0 lead.
Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu and
Faith Sabatier opened the set with two back-to-back kills. The Bombers went on a big run with two
Peyton Miller diving digs to ultimately bring IC out on top closing out the first set.
The Rams were hoping to come into the second set on a high note, but Bombers offense was no match for them.
Ella Graper,
Faith Sabatier, and
Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu chipped in with a combined six kills in a row, paired up with an
Ellie Benedict service ace.
The Bombers finished out the second set taking down the Rams by a score of 25-15. The set was closed out with two
Jamie Koopman kills and a sneak attack dump over kill by
Maddie Cox. Ithaca College was able to increase the lead to two sets to none over the Rams.
Ithaca College again grabbed an early lead to open the third set, moving up a 2-0 lead.
Wesley Slavin was able to assist the first three kills that propelled Ben Lights energy into overdrive.
The Rams were aching to get themselves back into the game and this set proved to be the most evenly matched with the Bombers and the Rams racing out to eight points apiece. Framingham State forced a timeout call from the Ithaca College Bombers when they grabbed a lead of 12-8 early on in the third.
Coming out of the timeout,
Ella Graper was able to bring out the energy for the team with a kill that cut the deficit to three (12-9). An assist from
Wesley Slavin into a
Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu kill put in effort to cut the deficit from the bombers.
Ahead 18-11 the Bombers called another timeout, in hopes to bring the heat.
Jamie Koopman came out with back-to-back kills, followed by an attacking error for Anna Szymanski.
Jamie Koopman came out to play with two straight service aces followed by a successful swing and kill which was assisted by
Wesley Slavin. Koopman's energy was the deciding factor on bringing the Bombers back and tying the game at 20 points apiece.
Framingham State showed a spurt of energy, was returned and shut down quickly by the Bombers, forcing a Framingham Rams timeout,
Wesley Slavin was hot on the service line having two aces in a row.
The teams traded the next few points, finishing the set out with a 25-21 win. This win propels the Bombers into the Second Round of the 2023 NCAA Division III Tournament playoffs.
Jamie Koopman had an excellent day for the Bombers, leading the student athletes with 12 kills and adding in two serving aces. Gonzalez-Abreu added in 10 kills, and
Faith Sabatier chipped in nine kills. Ithaca College hit at an outstanding .425% for the night.
REACTION FROM HEAD COACH JOHAN DULFER, FAITH SABATIER AND ELLIE BENEDICT
With the win, Ithaca College improves to 27-4 overall and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bombers who have reeled off 11-straight victories will square off against Babson College (25-6) at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 17.
