HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 6, 2016) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team was unable to overcome a two-set hole Sunday, falling 3-1 to Ithaca in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Final.
The loss dropped Stevens to 31-5, while Ithaca moved to 26-5 and will receive an automatic bid to next weekend's NCAA Tournament
Ithaca took the first two sets 25-23 and 25-16 with Stevens taking the third 25-13, before Ithaca closed the win with a 25-20 win in set four.
Senior
Mary Tobin led the Ducks with 10 kills, while senior
Christina Sciarra and freshman
Casey King each tallied nine. Tobin also chipped in with 13 digs behind a game-high 22 from junior
Sydni Horner.
Each side went back-and-forth over the early going before a 4-0 Bombers run erased the Ducks lead and put Ithaca up 10-9. An Ithaca attack error soon after put the Ducks back in front at 16-15 before a kill from Sciarra made it 20-18, but Ithaca rallied back to break a 23-23 deadlock with two straight for the win.
Set two brought much of the same with both teams playing to a 6-6 tie, before an Ithaca attack error made it 11-11. The sides deadlocked one more time at 13-13, but the Bombers gained control from there to go up 22-15. Stevens ended the run off an Ithaca attack error, but it's as close as they would get as the Bombers scored three straight from there for the win.
Stevens answered the losses in the first two sets with a 6-0 run to start the third capped by a kill from King. Ithaca ended the spurt off a block error, but the Ducks came back with nine straight to open up a commanding 14-1 lead. The cushion was more than enough as the Ducks cruised to the 25-13 win from there.
Set four mirrored the first two with a back-and-forth affair to an 11-11 tie. Ithaca pulled ahead with three straight to go up 14-11, but a pair of kills from
Shelby Stewart brought the Ducks back to within one.
Stevens got within one again at 18-17 and once more at 19-18 after a kill from Sciarra, but it's as close as they would get the rest of the match as Ithaca won six of the final eight points.
The Ducks will await to hear their NCAA fate with tomorrow's section show at 12:30 p.m.
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