ITHACA, N.Y. - The nationally ranked No. 17 Ithaca College volleyball team earned a dominant sweep over Hartwick College on Tuesday evening inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The match was highlighted by a milestone moment for
Wesley Slavin, who recorded her 2,000th career assist, moving into ninth place all-time in program history.
The Bombers came out strong in the opening set, starting with a four-point run fueled by kills from Brianna Owen and Addison Leadbetter. Hartwick responded to tie the score, but three more kills from Owen, Leadbetter, and Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu pushed Ithaca ahead, 7–4.
Ithaca continued to build momentum, claiming eight of the next 12 points with contributions from Gonzalez-Abreu, Owen, Slavin, Naomi Clauhs, and Ella Graper, along with a service ace from Karina Garcia to extend the lead to 15–8. The Bombers added two more three-point runs to close out the set, winning 25–15.
In the second set, Ithaca battled to a 5–4 lead behind two kills from Gonzalez-Abreu, one from Leadbetter, and a pair of Hartwick attack errors. The Hawks responded with a seven-point run to take the lead, but the Bombers answered with an eight-point surge, capitalizing on six Hartwick errors and two kills from Clauhs to regain control. The Bombers followed with four straight points, including a Garcia ace and kills from Owen, Clauhs, and Gonzalez-Abreu. The teams traded points down the stretch, but Clauhs sealed the set with a kill for a 25–20 win.
Ithaca wasted no time in the third set, jumping out to a 6–1 lead thanks to five Hartwick errors and a kill from Leadbetter. After some back-and-forth play, the Bombers extended their lead with four consecutive kills from Clauhs, Owen, Gonzalez-Abreu, and Graper to make it 13–6.
The Bombers maintained control, earning six of the next ten points with five more kills. They closed out the match with three straight kills from Gonzalez-Abreu and Zoe Strachan to take the third set, 25–14, and complete the sweep.
Wesley Slavin finished with a match-high 35 assists as
Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu,
Addison Leadbetter and
Naomi Clauhs each finished with 10 kills apeice. Gonzalez-Abreu also had a double-double, notching 11 digs.
With the non-conference win, Ithaca improves to 12-3 overall and will return to action on Friday at 6 p.m. with a Liberty League road matchup against Vassar College.
