It was business as usual for the No. 20 Ithaca College volleyball team on Oct. 11, as they swept the Union College Garnet Chargers 25-14, 25-17 and 25-18 at Ben Light Gymnasium.
The first set had both teams trading blows with the score at one point tied 6-6, but the Bombers quickly overwhelmed their opponent. The Garnet Chargers did not score consecutive points until close to the end of the set, at which point the Bombers went on another 4-1 run. This culminated in a vicious spike from senior right side Faith Sabatier, as the force of her hand connecting with the ball reverberated across the gym to end the set. She ended the match with a team-high 14 kills at an impressive hitting percentage of .407.
Sabatier, with ice packs on her hip and knee, said she felt sore after the game but did not mind the wear and tear.
“The teammates, the coaches, the staff and everything, it makes it worth it,” Sabatier said. “It’s my last year. I want to go all out. I want to leave everything that I have out for this team and this program, so that’s why I get so beat up after a game. It’s just because I’m here to give my all for the people who support me each and every day.”
From that point on, the Bombers were in cruise control. Powerful kills rained down from sophomore outside hitters Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu and Naomi Clauhs, as well as senior middle blocker Anaya Prince – finishing with 12, eight and four kills, respectively. Those individual performances, along with 12 service aces, resulted in multiple dominant stretches, and the Bombers had three runs of at least five straight points across the second and third sets.
On top of being high-powered, the Bomber offense worked like a well-oiled machine. The team put together a hitting percentage of .377, its highest mark of the season. Head coach Tara Stilwell said this level of efficiency shows how much the team has improved throughout the season.
“Hitting is the only way that we can consistently score points, other than our first serve,” Stilwell said. “But it also started with our setting, and I thought our passage did a good job as well. Hitting is very dependent on everything else, and it’s a good indicator that we’re doing everything well.”
The Bombers improve to 13-3 and will finish their homestretch at 2 p.m. Oct. 12 in Ben Light Gymnasium, where they take on the Vassar College Brewers.
