ITHACA, N.Y. (September 1, 2018)  – Junior Sara Hain recorded 11 kills and freshman Corinne Dougherty added a career-high 10, but the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball dropped a thrilling four-set match to No. 8 Ithaca College (23-25, 20-25, 25-16, 20-25) Saturday to close out the 2018 Bomber Invitational. 

Senior Brianna Perez dished out 41 assists and collected seven digs for the Ducks, who have played three straight four-set contests with their regional rival. The three-match streak against three teams ranked inside the American Volleyball Coaches Association top-20 to open the season was arguably the toughest stretch for Stevens since 2011 when the Ducks played consecutive matches against No. 8 Cal Lutheran and No. 4 Christopher Newport and regionally-ranked MIT. 

Reagan Stone collected 15 kills on 20 attacks and Caitlyn Floyd dished out 46 assists for Ithaca, who topped No. 17 Juniata later in the day to close out its tournament with a 2-1 record.

Volleys and Points

• Ithaca jumped out in front early in the first, scoring the first three points of the match.
• A service error handed Stevens its first point of the match and junior Shelby Stewart set down a Perez to pull Stevens within two.
• Ithaca maintained the lead throughout the opening set until a four-point run pushed Stevens ahead at 10-9.
• The teams traded slim advantages with neither side able to reel off more than three straight points.
• Katie Evans pinned down an Evans set to give Ithaca a 23-21 edge, but Dougherty and junior Kristen Edmiston each converted a Perez feed to again force a tie.
• Evans returned the serve to Ithaca and an attack error gave Ithaca the opening set.
• A blocking error opened scoring in the second set, but Stewart quickly knotted the match with a strike that went untouched by the Ithaca defense.
• Kills from Dougherty and junior Talkeen Mitchell pushed Stevens out in front and an Elizabeth Chu ace gave the Ducks a 12-9 lead and forced an Ithaca timeout.
• Out of the timeout, Ithaca ran off three straight points to tie the score and the teams traded points until a Taylor McCarthy kill and a Stevens attack error pushed the home team in front by two and forced a timeout.
• The Ithaca lead would grow to as much as four before Perez sent a Jillian Roumbanis pass over the net to give Stevens new life.
• Stone set down a Floyd pass to return the set to the Bombers and McCarthy followed suit to give Ithaca a 2-0 lead in the match.
• In the third set, the Ducks scored first for the first time in the match. Dougherty knocked down a Perez feed to give Stevens the opening point.
• Neither team was able to seize control of the stanza in the early going, until consecutive kills from Hain gave Stevens an 11-6 lead.
• Tandem blocks bookended a four-point stretch that saw Stevens' lead grow to nine (21-12) - marking the largest lead for either team in the match.
• Dougherty converted a Hain feed to push Stevens to set point. 
• Three straight Ithaca points briefly slowed the Stevens offense, but Hain set down a Perez set to close out the frame.
• In the final set, Ithaca jumped out in front with four straight points, but consecutive kills from Edmiston and Stewart pulled the Ducks to within one (7-6).
• A service error and an Alison Lipton kill pushed the Stevens deficit back to four, but the resilient Ducks didn't allow Ithaca to pull away.
• Kills by Edmiston and Dougherty again trimmed the margin to two (19-17).
• A Hailey Adler kill brought Ithaca to match point, but Edmiston rejected a Lipton attack and good Stevens defense forced another Lipton error to pull Stevens within 24-20, before Ithaca was able to close out the contest.

Match Point

• Stevens fought off a pair of match points before Stone converted a Floyd set to close out the contest.

Inside the Numbers

• Although Ithaca outhit Stevens for the match (.230-.159), the Ducks produced their best set of the season in the third (.267), collecting 13 kills on 30 attacks.
• Behind two each from Perez, junior Taleen Mitchell and freshman Elizabeth Chu, Stevens held a 7-5 advantage in aces.
• Each team collected eight blocks.
• The tightly-contested match produced a similar number of assists (51 for Ithaca and 46 for Stevens) and digs (61 for the Bombers and 57 for the Ducks).
• The back-and-forth match produced 20 ties over the course of the match.
• Edmiston totaled a career-high four blocks.
• Mitchell posted her eighth career double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs.

From the Courts

• "Today, we faced a very strong Ithaca taem coming off a historic season last year. They are clocking on all cylinders and executed just a little bit better than us today down the stretch. I am very pleased with our play and am optimistic that we will continue to grow and improve with our young team."

Unsung Hero

• Stewart produced a balance statistical game for the Ducks, registering eight kills on 14 attacks with just one error, while posting five blocks.

Up Next

• Stevens takes on New York University on Sept. 5 in a non-conference match in Brooklyn, N.Y.
• The Ducks swept the Violets last season.
• Live stats and video links at StevensDucks.com.

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