ITHACA, N.Y. – The 22^nd-ranked Ithaca College women's volleyball team made its return to Ben Light Gymnasium on Friday evening when it kicked off the postseason with a Liberty League Tournament Semifinal Round matchup against Clarkson. However, the Bombers run was stifled before it could even get going, as the Golden Knights pulled the upset over the top-seeded tournament hosts in a stunning four-setter (25-18, 16-25, 25-22, 25-19). The loss drops Ithaca's record to 18-7 on the year and IC will need to hope its resume is strong enough to earn an at-large big when the 2018 NCAA Tournament bracket is unveiled on Monday afternoon.
 
For the second straight year, IC's bid to back a Liberty League regular-season crown with a Liberty League Championship came up short at the hands of Clarkson. Although IC has bested the Golden Knights in each of the past three regular-season matchups, the five-time defending Liberty League Champions pulled all the right strings when the calendar turned to the first weekend of November. The visitors kept Ithaca out of sync throughout the night, quieting a raucous home crowd in the process. At the end of the night, the Bombers had to witness a jubilant Clarkson squad storm the floor for the second consecutive year, as the Golden Knights also pulled an upset of the Bombers in the 2017 Liberty League Championship Match in a five-setter last fall. Clarkson will face second-seeded RIT in tomorrow afternoon's Championship Match with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"It is certainly a bitter pill for us to swallow here this evening," head coach Johan Dulfer said following the match. "It is never easy having an opposing team celebrate a big victory on your home floor, but at the end of the day we really need to tip the hat to Clarkson. They played with incredible energy and confidence tonight and certainly looked like the five-time defending champs that they are. They put together one of their best performances of the season and we just were unable to find an answer during the crucial moments of the match."
 
The energy in the gym was palpable in the pre-match warmups with a sizeable home crowd turning out to show support for the squad. Adding to the excitement was the knowledge that a key player was making her long-awaited return to the lineup in senior captain Amanda Cerruti. However, the excitement quickly turned to consternation when play started to get underway in the match.
 
The warning signs once again were present in the early going of tonight's match, as the hosts got off to another slow start that has been an alarming trend in matches over recent weeks. Several unforced blunders put Ithaca behind the eight-ball in the contest, allowing Clarkson to stake an early lead in the match despite fairly ordinary play in the opening set. While the Bombers outpaced Clarkson 15-to-9 in kills during the first frame, an astonishing 10 attacking errors undid much of the good, with the Golden Knights pulling away for the 25-18 set win.
 
IC looked to have righted the ship in the second frame, as the team responded in a major way with a runaway 25-16 set win to level the match. The Bombers racked up 14 kills and cut the amount of errors in half en route to a .265 hitting clip in the frame. It was a 6-0 scoring run that ultimately blew things open, turning a 17-15 advantage into a 23-15 margin late in the set. Sophomore pin-hitter Reagan Stone logged two of her scintillating 10 total kills in the second set during the run, while senior libero Tara Stilwell posted on service ace and the duo of junior setter Caitlyn Floyd and senior middle Amanda Cerruti combined on a block.
 
Unfortunately, the sloppiness returned to home side during the crucial swing-set in the third. It was a little mix of everything that kept the Bombers just a hair off in the set, but predominately some wavering on serve-receive was the biggest culprit in keeping Ithaca out of system. Early 5-0 and 4-0 scoring runs helped Clarkson build some breathing room, the latter run stretching the visitors lead to 13-8. Although Ithaca would close within a single point of leveling the score six different times, Clarkson always had the response for a crucial point to maintain the lead. Junior outside hitter Rachel Reusch scored two key kills down the stretch to help Clarkson hold onto the big set with a 25-22 lead, reestablishing a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The big performance by the visitors set the stage for the fourth, as Clarkson did not let up in the pressure. The Golden Knights turned in their finest effort of the evening in the clinching fourth set, posting 15 kills on a sensational .270 team hitting clip to pull away. First-year middle Gillian Kurtic was particularly impressive for Clarkson. IC had no answer for the rookie, as she logged eight of her team-high 18 kills in the clinching set.
 
Ithaca was paced offensively by Stone, who turned in her seventh 20-plus kill outing of the year. She finished with a match-high 24 kills on the night, finishing with a .230 hitting clip. It was also her seventh double-double of the year, as she added 12 digs, as well as three aces, one solo block, and two block assists.
 
First-year Alison Lipton also turned in a solid outing on the outside, finishing with eight kills on .353 hitting success and adding three digs. Unfortunately, the was the extent of the of the offense at the pins. Sophomore Sarah Jennison was limited to two kills on 24 attacks, chipping in four additional digs.
 
Senior middle Katie Evans led the way offensively through the center court. She posted 14 kills on .308 hitting. Cerruti logged five kills and four block assists, but certainly looked to be still regaining her form following the long layoff from the early-season injury.
 
Floyd finished the match with 50 assists and 12 digs to log another double-double; however, she was held without a kill for just the third time this year. She added two block assists and one service ace.
 
The backline was keyed by a 16-dig, three-ace performance from former Golden Knight Tara Stilwell. First-year Jordyn Lyn Hayashi and senior Hailey Adler chipped in six digs apiece. Sophomore Delaney Runyon added three digs.
 
Ithaca will turn its attention to Monday's NCAA Selection Show and will hope that its body of work will be enough to earn an at-large selection. The Bombers entered play on Friday ranked first in the latest installment of NCAA Regional Rankings indicating a strong chance that IC would be able to extend its string of NCAA Tournament berths to four consecutive seasons. Stay tuned to the IC Athletics for more information as things are released on Monday. The Selection Show is set to air at 12:30 p.m. EST.