The volleyball team made a strong statement in the semi-finals of the Empire 8 Tournament on Nov. 7, sweeping Nazareth College in three games. The Bombers won the match in consecutive sets by scores of 25–19, 25–16 and 25–21.
The Blue and Gold collected 37 kills on a .196 hitting percentage, topping the Golden Flyers’ 26 kills on .066 hitting percentage. The Blue and Gold also accounted for 55 digs, 30 assists, seven aces and six blocks over the course of the three sets.
The South Hill squad was led offensively by freshman outside hitter Hailey Adler. Adler was the lone Bomber in double-digit kills in the match, with 10 kills in total. Adler also collected seven digs and one service ace for the team.
Fellow freshman middle hitter Katie Evans also had a strong day at the net for Ithaca, registering two blocks and eight kills on a .389 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Joelle Goldstein and sophomore right side Caroline Gerulskis rounded out the Bombers’ offense, recording six kills and five kills, respectively.
Sophomore setter Kayla Gromen dished out 25 assists on the day, to go along with eight digs and three kills.
Goldstein led the Bombers on the defensive front, recording 14 digs and two blocks. Senior libero Dylan Gawinski-Stern was close behind with 12 digs throughout the course of the match. Freshman middle hitter Amanda Cerruti was solid at the net for the Blue and Gold, picking up four blocks on the day.
The South Hill squad is set to face Stevens Institute of Technology in the Empire 8 Championship at noon Nov. 8 in Hoboken, New Jersey.
