ITHACA, N.Y. – Fresh off the program's second consecutive Liberty League regular season title, the nationally-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team is set to play host to the 2018 Liberty League Tournament this coming weekend. The Bombers will welcome RIT, Vassar and Clarkson to South Hill for two days of action, as the semifinal round is set for Friday, November 2, and the championship match will be at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 3. Come out to the Hill Center's Ben Light Gymnasium and show your support for the Bombers in their quest to secure an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament!
 
Match Information
Friday, November 2, 2018
Semifinal #1: #2 RIT (26-4, 6-1 Liberty League) vs. #3 Vassar (15-9, 4-3 Liberty League) – 5:00 PM
Semifinal #2: #1 Ithaca (18-6, 7-0 Liberty League) vs. #4 Clarkson (16-10, 4-3 Liberty League) – 7:30 PM
 
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Championship Match: Winner Semifinal #1 vs. Winner Semifinal #2 – 4:00 PM
 
Match Coverage
Live Stats | Watch | Twitter | Tournament Portal | Tournament Program (PDF)
 
Admission
Free
 
Back at Ben Light
For the second consecutive season, Ithaca College will play host to the Liberty League Postseason Tournament during the first weekend of November. It is the second straight year that the Bombers took home the regular season title, this time outright after posting an unbeaten 7-0 record in Liberty League play during the year.
 
Bombers Go Back-to-Back
Ithaca captured the program's second straight Liberty League regular-season title in 2018, going a perfect 7-0 against league foes on the year. The schedule was road-heavy early with three of IC's first four league contests away from home at St. Lawrence, Skidmore and Union. The biggest point of the early season came during the first weekend of October when IC bested Union in a five-setter to improve to 4-0. Ithaca gained the leg-up in the race for the top-seed when it beat RIT in a four-set match at Ben Light Gymnasium on October 10 for a critical head-to-head win. The Bombers would not need the head-to-head win over the Tigers, as they scored wins in the final two Liberty League contests, which included a five-set come-from-behind triumph over Vassar on October 20.
 
RIT Breaks Out
One year removed from missing the Liberty League Tournament for the first time since 2013, the Tigers have been a team on a mission this fall behind the standout play of rookie sensation Katie Hobler and a strong core of contributors. RIT enters the weekend with a 26-4 record, which includes a 6-1 mark in Liberty League action. The Tigers suffered their lone league blemish of the season in a mid-week clash on the road at Ithaca in mid-October, but clinched the second seed with a thrilling five-set triumph over Vassar in the final weekend of League play. RIT's 26 victories tie the 2012 team for the most under Jim Lodes during his second stint as head coach of the program.
 
Vassar in Tournament Form
Coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017, the Brewers returned several key pieces of its core in 2018. Although the Brewers got off to a bit of slow start this fall, they have been playing as well as any team in the country over the past several weeks and will be tall task for any program down the stretch. Entering the final weekend of league play, the Brewers sat in a tie for second place in the standings and were in major contention for the regular-season title. Two tough five-set road defeats at RIT and Ithaca in matches that the Brewers led heading into the fourth set lowered the team to the third seed, but they will be right in the thick of the championship hunt this weekend.
 
Clarkson Dynasty Back to Defend Title
No team knows what it takes to win a Liberty League Title better than Clarkson, as the Golden Knights once again find themselves in the postseason after clinching a berth in the league's final weekend. Clarkson has won the past six Liberty League Tournaments after coming back to defeat IC in a five-set thriller at Ben Light Gymnasium in 2017. The Golden Knights have been up-and-down this fall, but are still loaded with talent and are one of the best defensive teams in the country. While the Golden Knights enter the weekend with just a 16-10 record, they are 5-1 over the past six matches and are on a bit of a roll heading into tournament play. Clarkson clinched its postseason berth on October 20, beating Skidmore in come-from-behind fashion in a four-setter.