NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – The No. 22 ranked Ithaca College volleyball team was back in action at the NYU Invitational on Saturday. The Bombers started their day with a three-set win over (RV) Smith College (29-27, 25-20, 25-21) but later fell to No. 20 New York University by a 3-1 set score (13-25, 25-18, 21-25, 18-25).
ITHACA 3, (RV) SMITH 0 (29-27, 25-20, 25-21)
The match began with a Julia Costa ace, but Smith College quickly built an early 9-3 lead. They extended their advantage to 14-7 before Ithaca responded with a 4-0 run. The Bombers continued to pressure offensively, tying the set at 23 points apiece. This stretch included two aces from Ellie Benedict and kills from Faith Sabatier and Josie Hampton. The teams traded points until Hampton clinched the set with an ace.
The second set was tightly contested, with ties at 10, 14, and 15 points. Ithaca then took control with two kills from Sabatier and an ace from Costa, putting them up 19-15. The Bombers clinched the set with a kill from Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu, assisted by Wesley Slavin.
In the third set, Sabatier added to her team-best 12 kills, and Anya Prince made significant contributions at the net with several blocks. The Bombers went up 22-17 with a kill from Slavin and clinched the match with an opponent attacking error. Ithaca had 10 or more kills in each set, with Slavin contributing 29 assists.
NYU 3, ITHACA 1 (13-25, 25-18, 18-25, 21-25)
NYU jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first set, which Ithaca couldn't recover from. Naomi Clauhs scored the final Bombers point on a kill assisted by Slavin, making it 22-13 before NYU scored the final three points.
The Bombers played their best in the second set, leading 13-9 after a four-point run. Clauhs connected on back-to-back successful swings, putting Ithaca up 19-15. They closed on a 5-1 run, including an Ellie Benedict ace and four Sabatier kills.
The third set saw both teams trading points, with NYU taking an 11-7 lead after back-to-back attacking errors. Back-to-back Sabatier kills brought the deficit to 22-18, but NYU scored the final three points to secure a 2-1 advantage.
Ithaca connected on 10 kills in the fourth set and made several runs, including a stretch where they trailed 15-14 after back-to-back kills from Jayden Wiese and one from Hampton. However, NYU scored four in a row and took the win after an IC service error.
Next up, the Bombers will take on the University of Scranton at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9, and will host both Union and Vassar on Friday and Saturday.
