Players from both sides eye each other. The starting lineups are announced, and both teams get into position — Ithaca College on one side, SUNY-Cortland across from them. Fans sit in the stands, but they aren’t at Butterfield Stadium — instead they are in Ben Light Gymnasium, expecting a heated volleyball match.

“A rivalry is a rivalry for a whole school whether it’s football, soccer or volleyball — it’s all the same,” Graduate Assistant Coach Amanda Hubbard ’08 said. “When there’s a rival everyone’s emotions get up, and your adrenaline is pumping.”

The Ithaca-Cortland rivalry continued Tuesday as the Bombers fell to Cortland 3–1 after defeating the Red Dragons just days before at the Blue Devil Invitational.

Since 2005, the Bombers are 4–7 against Cortland. In the 11 matchups, only three have been one-sided contests. Of the other eight matches, six of them have been four-set bouts, while two have been epic five-set battles.

Ithaca Head Coach Janet Donovan, a SUNY-Cortland alumna and former captain of the Red Dragons’ volleyball team, said the tradition started long before her 19-year tenure at the college.

“I played against Ithaca, so that rivalry has been going strong way before me, and we’ve had some great matchups over the years,” she said.

Even in years when the two teams found different levels of success, Donovan said when the college and Cortland square off on the court, it’s sure to be a hard-fought battle.

“It doesn’t even matter how good of a year one team is having,” she said. “You just throw the records out and go at it.”

Hubbard helped her team sweep Cortland in the regional New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association third-place game in 2006. Hubbard said the beauty of a college rivalry is that it runs throughout campus.

Hubbard said that though she wants to let her players have their own experiences with the Cortland rivalry, she still can’t help but feel that strong passion.

“You see red, and it just makes you turn inside,” she said.

Senior setter Corinna Doctor has played a key role in this match for four years. The captain has experienced both the joys of a dominant victory and the sorrows of a crushing defeat. She said win or lose, the Ithaca-versus-Cortland matchup always makes for an exciting game.

“With volleyball, Cortland is a very respected team,” Doctor said. “They are always super athletic and really talented.”

Doctor said her senior year on the volleyball team has been emotional and that she’s proud to have been a part of such a great tradition.

“It’s always an emotional match,” she said. “You spend four years and put in so much work, and it is just a culmination of all those things — it’s something to be really proud of.”

Though Cortland is not in the Empire 8, Doctor said getting a win over their neighbors is always a big accomplishment.

“Even though it usually doesn’t mean much for us … it’s always one of those strong personal wins,” she said. “We always want to get that victory because it always feel great to beat the Dragons.”

With the season series now tied at 1–1 and an opportunity to face the Red Dragons in the New York State Regional Challenge,  sophomore Kate Thoene said the Bombers want to take down Cortland.

“It’s a big blow to the pride,” Thoene said. “We are going to come out a lot stronger and never let this happen again.”

Box Score - Cortland vs Ithaca (Oct 06, 2009 at Ithaca, N.Y.)