GENEVA, N.Y. – In a highly anticipated matchup, the No. 20 ranked Ithaca College volleyball team faced (RV) William Smith on the road Wednesday evening. The Herons, who have been receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll, proved to be a formidable opponent, taking the match to five sets. Ultimately, the Bombers prevailed (21-25, 25-15, 25-19, 16-25, 15-12), improving to 15-3 overall and 5-0 in the Liberty League.
Naomi Clauhs finished with 15 kills that was followed by Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu. Marin Montagne connected on 16 for the Herons. Gonzalez-Abreu finished with a double-double with 19 digs and also chipped in three aces. Ellie Benedict also had three aces and a team-high 22 digs.
The Bombers dropped the opening set 25-21, with William Smith maintaining an advantage throughout. Malya Sayre clinched the set for the Herons with a kill at the net.
Ithaca responded strongly in the second set, building a 6-2 lead capped by a Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu kill. The Bombers continued to string together points, leading 13-8 after a Jayden Wiese kill and a Wesley Slavin ace. IC clinched the set on a rally finished by Josie Hampton, assisted by Slavin. The Bombers hit .267 with just four attacking errors, tying the match at 1-1.
Josie Hampton scored back-to-back points to help the Bombers extend a 4-1 lead in the third set, including a kill and a service ace, along with two Jayden Wiese kills. The Herons cut the deficit to 7-6 with a Marin Montagne kill. The teams traded the lead five times before William Smith gained a slight 15-12 lead after a pair of Ithaca attacking errors and a Delainy Williams kill.
Out of a Bombers timeout, they scored five straight points, including two aces from Ellie Benedict and two kills from Naomi Clauhs, forcing a William Smith timeout. Momentum continued for IC, with Clauhs hammering down two more swings to extend their lead to 19-15. The Herons fought back, but the set was clinched at 25-20 with a Jayden Wiese kill.
Leading 2-1, the fourth set was another back-and-forth battle. William Smith capitalized on their home crowd's energy, going on a scoring run to lead 17-11. An Ellie Benedict service ace cut the lead to 17-13, but the Herons took the set 25-16.
In the decisive fifth set, the Bombers scored the opening two points, including a kill from Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu. She connected on two more strong swings, assisted by Slavin, to put Ithaca up 6-4. Ithaca scored two more points, including a Naomi Clauhs kill, forcing a Herons timeout. The Bombers withstood a mini-run and led 10-6 after a combined block by Clauhs and Anaya Prince. William Smith called their final timeout after a huge kill from Prince. Ithaca called a break, and Gonzalez-Abreu came up with a big kill to keep the Bombers up 13-10. The sophomore forced set and match point at 14-12 and clinched the match with an ace at the service line.
Next up, Ithaca College will continue Liberty League action with a road match at St. Lawrence University on Saturday, October 19, at 2 p.m.
