It was a tale of two matches for the No. 19 Ithaca College volleyball team on senior day, as they were swept by the Cortland Red Dragons before returning the favor against the Nazareth University Golden Flyers on Nov. 9.

Game 1:

Going into this rivalry match-up between NCAA tournament regulars, the Bombers had won nine of the last 10 matchups against the Red Dragons. From the first whistle, the Red Dragons seemed keen on not letting that pattern go on any longer. They jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first set. Now, making up five points in volleyball is by no means impossible. The Bombers scored five straight during this set, but by that point, the Red Dragons had created enough distance that the run only brought the score to 17-13. The Bombers came no closer than within four of the Red Dragons for the rest of the set.

The match was very even as both teams traded blows, but the main degree of separation between the two sides on the day was the Red Dragon’s ability to get hot. The second set was at one point tied 17-17, as neither team was able to put together more than three straight points at a time. However, a 6-1 run for the Red Dragons gave them an advantage they would buoy through a Bomber comeback to go up 2-0.

Set three looked to be more of the same. With the game tied at 15 apiece, the Red Dragons embarked on yet another four-point run. However, following a Red Dragons service error, the Bombers shifted momentum in their favor with a 5-1 run of their own. Powerful kills by sophomore outside hitter Naomi Clauhs along with more visitor mistakes would give the Bombers a lifeline, but following a timeout the Red Dragons proceeded to score three points in about 40 seconds. The match ended on a controversial kill where it seemed Red Dragons outside hitter Jennifer Koestner smacked a ball into the net, but the second referee ruled that it had made contact with a Bomber blocker, leaving the Bomber faithful irate. The match would end 3-0 for the Red Dragons with scores of 19-25, 23-25 and 23-25.

Clauhs said the Bombers’ disappointment with the Cortland result would fuel their preparation for the remainder of their season.

“It was a high-pressure game and it determined a lot of our positioning for Regional play,” Clauhs said. “That’s the kind of little kick that we needed to send us into playoffs with a little fire under us.”

Game 2:

From the first set, this team seemed different from the one that faced Cortland just a few hours earlier. The set was close, but the South Hill squad forced the momentum shift this time. Down 8-7, they went on runs of 8-2 and 6-0, putting together a hitting percentage of .414 — by far their most efficient set of the day.

While neither of the final two sets was quite as cut and dry as the first, the Bombers took care of the Golden Flyers mainly by forcing errors. The Golden Flyers finished the match with 20 attacking errors and only 19 kills, whereas the Bombers finished with 18 attacking errors and 41 kills. The final scores would be 25-17, 25-15 and 25-17 in favor of the Bombers.

Ithaca’s 41st kill came off the right hand of senior right side Faith Sabatier, who said getting the final point in her final regular season game was a special moment.

“I know that I’ve battled a lot of adversity here in my four years, and to end on a kill was special,” Sabatier said. “I’m just so appreciative to my setter, Wes[ley Slavin] who set me up with that last point. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Sabatier finished the match with 11 kills, second on the team behind Clauhs’ 12. Senior day provided significant playing time for some underclassmen, too, as first-year outside hitter Jayden Wiese finished with five kills, one of her highest totals of the year.

“I just want to do right by [the seniors],” Wiese said. “They’ve put in so much work. They’re some of my best friends, so I just wanted to make sure that they go out on a high and that they know everybody’s working with them.”

The Bombers finished the regular season at 20-6 and ride a third consecutive undefeated Liberty League slate into the top seed of the Liberty League Championships. They will carry their bye into a semi-final round matchup at 4 p.m. Nov. 15 at Ben Light Gymnasium against the winner of Union College vs. the Rochester Institute of Technology.