ITHACA, N.Y. – Top-seeded Ithaca (20-14, 7-1 Empire 8) is set to open postseason play as the Bombers will play host to the 2010 Empire 8 volleyball championships in Ben Light Gymnasium on Friday, Nov. 5. Live Stats will be provided for all three matches as the first-seeded Bombers will first face fourth-seeded RIT in a semifinal match at 11:30 a.m. followed by a 2:30 p.m. semifinal featuring second-seeded Nazareth and third-seeded Elmira. The respective winners of the semifinal matches will vie for the championship and automatic NCAA berth in a 7 p.m. contest.

For more information, view the Empire 8 Volleyball Championships website.

ABOUT THE TEAMS:

ABOUT THE BOMBERS:
Ithaca is vying for its fourth Empire 8 crown after most recently claiming the title in 2005. The Bombers, who secured the 2010 regular-season conference title by knocking off three-time defending champion, Stevens, had four players named to the Empire 8 All-Star Team as Jessica Hoeffner (Hauppauge/Hauppauge) and Kate Thoene (Voorhees/High Bridge, N.J.) earned first-team recognition. Hoeffner leads Ithaca having put away 244 kills including double-digit performances in 14 of her last 18 outings. Thoene leads the Empire 8 with 144 blocks (53 solo, 91 assists) and is averaging 2.47 kills per set. Taylor Horton (Lakeridge/Lake Oswego, Ore.), who received honorable mention, leads Ithaca with 538 digs. Sydney Folk (Long Beach/Long Beach) and Marissa Woodcome (Pittsford Sutherland/Pittsford) have contributed 621 and 458 assists, respectively, while Woodcome also leads the squad with 44 aces.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN FLYERS:
Nazareth (18-19, 6-2 Empire 8), which has four conference titles under its belt, has won six of its last nine matches. The Golden Flyers had four members named to the conference all-star squad. Ashlee Travis was the sole player on the first-team as she leads the Golden Flyers with 103 blocks (24 solo, 79 assists) and contributes 1.79 kills per set. Kristi Custer leads the team with 331 kills this season, while Brittany Crocetti has tallied a team-high 1,146 assists. Custer and Crocetti both received honorable mention. Amy Johnson leads the squad with 69 aces on the season, while the team sits atop the Empire 8 standings averaging 2.47 per set. Pacing the Golden Flyers' defensive efforts, Megan Rogers has recorded 454 digs.

ABOUT THE SOARING EAGLES:
Placing four players on the conference all-star team, Elmira (26-6, 6-2 Empire 8) looks to claim its second Empire 8 volleyball title. The Soaring Eagles enter the tournament on a six-match winning streak and have won 18 of their last 19 contests. Averaging 4.22 per set, Sasha Zavadska leads the conference in kills, while the team leads the Empire 8 in hitting percentage, kills and assists. Zavadska was Elmira's sole first-team selection, while Tesia Kaczynski, Brittany Raykoske and Taryn Rumsey were named to the second team. Kaczynski leads the league with 10.33 assists per set, while Rumsey spearheads the conference standings with 0.56 aces per set. Raykoske leads Elmira with 87 blocks (35 solo, 52 assists) and ranks second in aces and kills.

ABOUT THE TIGERS:
RIT (22-15, 5-3 Empire 8) enters the tournament on a three-match losing skid and has dropped eight of its last 10 contests. Looking to secure their first Empire 8 volleyball title to date, the Tigers had three athletes named to the all-star team. Although RIT does not lead the conference in any one category, it does rank as a top-three team in five statistics. A first-team selection, Jessica Schaffer leads the Tigers with 3.93 kills per set, while Christina Worth, a second-team honoree, assumes setting duties as she has tallied 1,403 assists this season. Kristin Parish leads RIT with 66 service aces and 117 blocks (11 solo, 106 assists) and Megan Henriksen spearheads the defense with 517 digs on the season.