No assistance needed
One of the first lessons we all learn growing up is how to be a good sharer. Some are always better than others, but in the history of Ithaca College volleyball, none have been better than Corinna Doctor. Over the weekend Doctor became the Bombers all-time leader in career assists, adding this accomplishment to her single-season assists record.
On Sunday, Doctor recorded 38 assists against conference rival Nazareth College to earn her 5,317 career assist, toppling the previous record that stood for eight years.
Despite an injury plagued season, the Blue and Gold have still managed to piece together a 20-14 season, dominating conference play with a 6-2 record in the Empire 8. With the postseason coming in November, the team can hope that some of these injuries will clear up before playoff time.
The new reigning assist leader and the South Hill squad return to action for two Halloween matchups against Lycoming College and Clarkson University on Saturday in Ben Light Gymnasium. It will be the final regular season games this season.
38th?!?!? Seriously?!?!?!
Ok, you know it and I know it. The men’s basketball team is not going to be as good as it was last season. The team that finished 24-3 was based almost entirely around its seniors and four out of the starting five have since graduated. The Bombers’ top scorer, Sean Burton is gone. Their top rebounder and shot blocker Jeff Bostic is gone. Their emotional leader Brendan Rogers is gone and their versatile power forward Sean Leahy is gone as well. That said, the d3hoops.com preseason poll ranking places Ithaca at No. 38 in the country. To me, that’s an insult. This team is far more solid than No. 38.
Junior Chris Cruz, the only returning member from last year’s starting five, is going to be a star in D-III this season. He’s a deep threat, quick on defense, and is a great athletic presence down low. If you need proof:
Senior Tom Brown will be taking over at center. Brown has ample experience starting, especially last season when Bostic went down with an injury. Brown is very determined on the boards and needs only slight improvements in his shot blocking abilities to get to where Ithaca will want its starting center to be.
Sophomore Jordan Marcus could be taking over at point guard. Burton leaves big shoes to fill but Marcus has shown flashes of brilliance in his limited time with the Blue and Gold. He is a streaky shooter but when he’s on, he’s on. He also needs to start using that muscular build to his advantage against some of the smaller guards he’ll be facing.
The other starting positions are still to be determined and nothing will be set in stone until opening tip off. But my point is this. This team is better than No. 38. I know they aren’t as good as they are last year but you don’t win 24 games without an incredibly strong bench. With four of the starting five graduating, that just means the players that gained experience with a lot of bench minutes last year will use that experience in a starting role. So, I don’t know what d3hoops.com based their ranking system on, but don’t be surprised to see the Bombers jump significantly higher as the season progresses.
State Champions has a nice ring to it
Congratulations goes out from The Extra Point to seniors Devra Reiman and Sarah Hollis on winning the New York State doubles championship yesterday. Having followed the women’s tennis team for four seasons now, it is clear that this championship was well deserved, especially by two hard working, leadership caliber players.
The manner in which they won was pretty exciting as well. Reiman and Hollis took down the No. 1 seeded team in the entire tournament, a tandem from Vassar College and then rode that momentum to an 8-5 victory over Lisa Mijovic and Ariel Sultan from New York University. The championship match was tied 5-5 but the South Hill squad hung tough for the victory and the state crown.
In other news, the field hockey team picked up an important 2-1 conference victory over Utica College on Saturday to prepare for its Wednesday showdown at home with No. 6 SUNY-Cortland. The men’s soccer team was also 2-1 winners over Utica with both goals coming from junior Fernando Casanova in a span of 20 seconds. The football team beat Frostburg State University 20-10 behind three touchdown passes by senior quarterback Brian Grastorf. The football team has a bye before its Halloween showdown on Oct. 31 at Springfield College.
Focus on the positives
Alright look. I could go on and on about the football team taking a beating by arch-rival St. John Fisher on homecoming weekend, but I’m not going to. Just suffice to say, this team has some kinks to work out and a game against 0-6 Frostburg State followed by a bye week is just what the doctor ordered.
Despite the football disaster, homecoming was not a total loss on the South Hill. The women’s tennis team annihilated RIT, winning every match - singles and doubles. With the win, the undefeated Bombers earned the top seed in the Empire 8 tournament which will be hosted by Nazareth on Oct. 24-25. If the Blue and Gold emerge victorious in the conference tourney, they will automatically be in the NCAA championship tournament in the spring. With the way this team is playing, they are certainly worth keeping an eye on.
The women’s soccer team continued its dominance with a weekend sweep, defeating conference rivals Nazareth and Hartwick both on the road. The Bombers are 7-0 in the Empire 8 and are looking once again like a team that could be making some postseason headlines. On top of that, junior Andrea Janda was named the Empire 8 conference player of the week.
So, the football team may have taken a beating, but Bomber fans do have a lot to be excited about. Playoff season is coming and there will be some Ithaca teams in it. Football still has four games remaining and will need our support when they return to Butterfield Stadium on Nov. 7. In the meantime, let’s focus on the positives and realize that Ithaca is still one of the most dominant schools in all of D-III.