ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's volleyball team was back on the court at Ben Light Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon when it faced rival Clarkson in the 2017 Liberty League Championship. Looking to lock down the League's automatic berth the NCAA Division III Tournament, the Bombers were one set away from scoring the title in its first season as an affiliate; however, the visiting Golden Knights stormed back to outlast the Bombers in a five-set thriller (17-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-18, 15-9).
 
With the defeat, the Ithaca's postseason fate rests in the hands of the tournament selection committee heading into Monday. The Bombers' resume looks quite strong for an at-large bid. With the 1-1 record this past weekend, Ithaca concludes the weekend with a 21-8 record, which includes one of the strongest strength of schedule's in all of NCAA Division III.
 
The Bombers entered the day looking to snap Clarkson's run of Liberty League dominance. The Golden Knights had won five consecutive League Championships coming into the day's action. The visitors used strong mental fortitude to twice comeback from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 to earn their sixth consecutive League Championship, tying Vassar's League-record run from 2001-06.
 
"You really have to give Clarkson a lot of credit for showing the heart and spirit to battle back and take today's match," head coach Johan Dulfer said. "They played one of their best matches of the year. They played with incredible purpose and really just wanted it more than us when it came to those crucial moments today. We have to tip our caps to them."
 
Ithaca tied a season high with five players reaching double-digits in kills. For the match, IC out-paced the Golden Knights 62-to-51 kills; however, the Golden Knights service game and tenacious block helped bridge the gap. Clarkson racked up 12 total blocks and kept Ithaca out of sequence all afternoon with a relentless serve that netted seven aces and wreaked havoc on an IC attack that was humming on all cylinders coming into the match.
 
Leading the way for Ithaca was senior outside hitter Joelle Goldstein, who posted 15 kills on .275 hitting. She collected a double-double with 10 digs, while also adding a solo block.
 
Three IC players record 12 kills apiece. Freshman Reagan Stone and senior Caroline Gerulskis each netted 12 on the outside. Stone added four digs, three block assists, and two service aces. Gerulskis posted two digs.
 
In the middle, junior Amanda Cerruti had a big match, also totaling 12 kills on a team-best .409 hitting percentage. She also accounted for three block assists and one solo block. Junior Katie Evans was the other IC player to net double-digit kills, finishing with 10 on 20 attacks (.250 hitting), while also chipping in one solo block.
 
Sophomore setter Caitlyn Floyd amassed 47 assists and 12 digs, while also accounting for two service aces and one kill. Freshman Delaney Runyon added two assists, two digs and one service ace.
 
Defensively, junior libero Tara Stilwell finished with a team-best 20 digs, three service aces, and two assists. Senior Kayla Gromen totaled 15 digs, six assists, and one service ace. Senior Marlee Wierda also added a service ace for IC.
 
The turning point in the match came midway through the fourth-set. Ithaca looked to be pulling away for what would have been a four-set triumph. A 4-0 scoring run gave the Bombers and 11-8 lead, prompting a Clarkson timeout. The Golden Knights responded with six of the next eight points to pull level, before a 4-0 run of their own pushed the visitors into the lead for good in taking the fourth set 25-18.
 
Although IC scored the first point on an extended rally in the decisive fifth frame, Clarkson battled back to score 5-of-6 points to snatch a 5-2 lead. The Bombers were able to close the deficit to a single point at 5-4 and 6-5; however, a 6-0 run by the Golden Knights put things out of reach. Clarkson went on to take the final frame 15-9.
 
"Clarkson was able to keep us off-balance for long stretched today with their serve-receive," Dulfer explained. "We struggled to find answers for what they were doing to us and it ultimately cost us. It is a tough lesson to learn, especially with the stakes as high as they were today, but we really have to tip the cap to them for being able to score the result here today."
 
The Bombers will await their fate, which will be revealed in the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday.
 
"We feel good about where we stack up in the region and with the strong strength-of-schedule that we have played this season," Dulfer concluded. "Last year's NCAA Champion came up short in their conference tournament, so we are still confident that we deserve a place in the field. We hope that the selection committee will see things that way as well."