The Ithaca College volleyball team continued its successful start to the season by taking three of four games at the F&M Scramble Sept. 16–17 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
First, the Blue and Gold faced the 14th-ranked Carnegie Mellon University on Sept. 16. By defeating Carnegie Mellon in three sets, the South Hill squad continued its six-match winning streak and also beat a nationally ranked team for the second time this season.
The Bombers won the first set 25–18, lost the second set 18–25 and took the next two sets by scores of 27–25 and 25–21, respectively. Sophomore opposite outside hitter Hailey Adler led the team with 14 kills, while junior outside hitter Joelle Goldstein also scored 11 kills.
Next, the South Hill squad took on Stevenson University. The Bombers narrowly won the first set 25–23 but dropped the second one 17–25. The Bombers took the third set 25–19 and finished off the four-set victory with a dominant 25–14 win. Once again, freshman outside hitter Taylor McCarthy led the team in assists with 12 kills and Goldstein also played a huge role in the victory with 18 digs.
The Bombers kicked off their next two games of the weekend Sept. 17. First, the Blue and Gold challenged the tournament hosts, Franklin & Marshall College. The Bombers fell to Franklin & Marshall 23–25 in a competitive first set. The South Hill squad bounced back with two consecutive victories in the second and third sets by a score of 25–19 and 25–15, respectively. The Diplomats then went on to defeat the Bombers 25–22 in the fourth set, but in the decisive fifth set, the Bombers won 15–11.
Goldstein led the team with 15 kills while sophomore defensive specialist Tara Stilwell also played a vital role by tallying 21 digs.
The Bombers ended the tournament with another tough matchup against the 13th-ranked Eastern University. The South Hill squad fell 27–29 in a competitive first set. Eastern started to pull away with a more decisive 25–18 victory in the second set. The Bombers fell victim to a sweep as they lost 16–25 in the final set.
Next, the South Hill squad will host Elmira College at 6 p.m. Sept. 21 in Ben Light Gymnasium.
