Cortland, N.Y. – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team was topped by No. 16 Ithaca College 3-1 Friday on the opening day of the Cortland Quad.
 
Junior setter Molly Harris became the seventh player in program history to eclipse 2,000 career assists in the setback for Stevens (12-8), which fell by set scores of 25-18, 22-25, 25-17 and 25-17.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Ella Boland put down consecutive kills early in the opening set to level the frame at four. The Bombers used nine of the next 12 points to move ahead 10-7, with Sarah Bolduc halting the spurt with a kill. Ithaca maintained momentum, using a 9-2 run to extend its lead to 19-10. Stevens countered with three of the next four points, including kills from Alyssa O'Neal and Boland. A service ace from Vivian Lisboa capped off a 5-1 run to pull the Ducks within five, but the Bombers registered the final two points to take set one.
 
O'Neal recorded an ace and a kill to open the second set, which featured ties at 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10 before two Ithaca errors and a Bolduc kill gave Stevens a 13-10 edge. The Bombers answered with five of the next six points, and the back-and-forth set saw several ties and lead changes. Trailing 20-19, the Ducks closed on a 6-2 run to even the match at one set apiece. Bolduc started the stretch with back-to-back kills, and O'Neal finished it with a kill off a Harris assist to seal the frame.
 
The Bombers took control early in the third, turning a 4-3 deficit into an 11-5 advantage behind an 8-1 rally. Stevens closed to within one on another O'Neal kill, but Ithaca responded with four straight points to go up 21-15 and went on to take the set 25-17. Lisboa and Bolduc produced back-to-back kills to open the fourth, but Ithaca broke a 7-7 tie with six of the next seven points. Stevens got as close as four down the stretch, but the Bombers held on to clinch the match 3-1.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Bolduc powered the Ducks with her fifth double-double of the season, posting a season-high-tying 17 kills and 10 digs. The sophomore has recorded 14 or more kills in each of her last four matches.
• Harris, who moved into seventh place on the program's all-time assists list earlier this season, handed out 40 assists and added 10 digs.
• Lianna Schmieder paced the defense with a career-high 25 digs, while O'Neal notched her fourth double-double of the year with 15 kills and 12 digs.

UP NEXT
The Ducks close out play at the Cortland Quad on Saturday, taking on the host Red Dragons at 11 a.m. before facing Bard College at 1 p.m.