The Ithaca College volleyball team had its four-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the eighth–ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays Sept. 15, dropping in three sets, (25–22), (27–25) and (25–22).
The first set offered the Bombers plenty of opportunity to take control, as the South Hill squad jumped out to an 8–7 lead. Unfortunately for the Bombers, that was as far as they would get, as the Blue Jays offense came alive, thanks in large part to sophomore outside hitter Simone Adam, who began the evening with seven points and seven kills.
The second set was a back-and-forth, tug-of-war battle, as infrequent leads were the common theme throughout. The Bomber defense played clutch in the backcourt, allowing the offense a chance to close the set out on a winning note, taking a slim 25–24 advantage. However, it would be the defensive heroics of Blue Jays graduate student Grace Reininga that kept the set alive, eventually leading to the Blue Jays being able to emerge victorious.
The third set offered less excitement, with the Bombers trailing from behind multiple times, following a promising start to the set in which they took a brief 5–4 advantage. Regardless of the valiant effort, the Bombers fell short in three sets for the second time this season, with their only other sweep coming against Millikin University on Sept. 2.
Johns Hopkins improves to 3–2 all time against the Bombers with the victory. Despite the defeat, there were certainly bright spots that the South Hill squad will look to carry into its next game against SUNY Geneseo.
Junior outside hitter Faith Sabatier complimented her team’s aggressiveness and hard hitting, while going on to focus on the positives of the match and said that there were pros to take from it.
“Our serving was good, and I liked the way we scrambled them,” Sabatier said.
In her third season, Sabatier is no stranger to success, recently awarded to the MIT Invitational All-Tournament Team as a result of her relentless attack in the frontcourt.
However, Sabatier admitted to one mistake that occurred too often all night.
“We had a hard time bouncing back from their quick bursts of offense,” Sabatier said.
Speaking of bursts of offense, first-year setter Wesley Slavin continues to impress, totaling 22 assists on the evening, bringing her season total to a team-leading 263. It has been a strong beginning for the Mill Valley, California native, who has proven to be a Swiss army knife on both ends of the ball, constituting the fourth–most digs (44) and fifth-most blocks (6.0) for the Bombers.
Another standout for the Bombers has been sophomore middle blocker Ella Graper, who contributed with another creditable performance, notching a team-leading 10 points, along with an exceptional five blocks on the evening. Graper, who finished her first year fourth on the team in blocks, is carrying momentum and experience into her second season.
With the win, the Blue Jays improved to 5–2 on the season, and 91–9 in their last 100 matchups, a feat almost untouchable. Head Coach Matt Troy, in his seventh season, has bred a winning culture, as in a four-year span, the Blue Jays set a division three record for 66 straight wins, including winning the NCAA title just four seasons ago.
The Bombers fell to 5–3 and will look to rebound against SUNY Geneseo at 1 p.m. Sept. 16, from Ben Light Gymnasium in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.
