ITHACA, N.Y. – The Liberty League Championship Tournament returns to South Hill this weekend, as the No. 1-seeded Ithaca College volleyball team hosts the semifinals and championship match at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers will face No. 4-seeded Skidmore in the first semifinal at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by No. 2 Union taking on No. 3 William Smith at 6:30 p.m.
 
Ithaca secured the top seed and hosting rights after finishing undefeated in conference play for the fourth consecutive season. The Bombers are also a perfect 13-0 on their home court this year and will look to capture their fourth-straight Liberty League title. The winners of Friday's semifinals will advance to the championship match, scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday.
   
SCOUTING NO. 15 ITHACA (24-4, 8-0): The Bombers hold the No. 15 spot in this week's AVCA poll after posting a 2-1 record at the Emory Invitational. Ithaca has appeared in the national rankings every week this season and enters the weekend boasting the Liberty League's most potent offensive attack.
 
Leading the charge are Naomi Clauhs and Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu, who each average more than three kills per set. Clauhs ranks fourth in the league with a team-best 387 kills, while Gonzalez-Abreu is close behind with 361 kills. Gonzalez-Abreu, a native of Hialeah, Fla., is coming off a career-best performance that earned her Liberty League Performer of the Week honors. She recorded 23 kills—including the 1,000th of her career—and a season-high 22 digs in a five-set victory over (RV) Washington and Lee University.
 
Helping orchestrate Ithaca's high-powered offense is junior setter Wesley Slavin, who has dished out 1,015 assists this season. Slavin also contributes across the board with 44 kills, 51 service aces, 29 blocks and 210 digs
 
Anchoring the back row is graduate libero Ellie Benedict, who leads the Liberty League with 567 digs and averages 5.61 digs per set, which ranks 15^th within NCAA Division III.
 
SCOUTING SKIDMORE (16-9, 5-3): The Thoroughbreds advanced to their first Liberty League semifinal since 2017 after a thrilling five-set win over Vassar on Tuesday evening. Skidmore enters Friday's contest riding a seven-match winning streak and has claimed victory in nine of its last 10 matches. However, Ithaca swept Skidmore in the teams' regular season meeting on Sept. 26, taking the match in straight sets (25-10, 25-22, 25-17).
 
Offensively, Skidmore is led by Maya Stolarz and Chloe Heitman, who have posted 217 and 194 kills, respectively. Middle hitter Jazlin Chan adds another dimension with 161 kills and 61 blocks, including a team-high 23 solo efforts, helping keep opponents off balance at the net.
 
SCOUTING UNION (22-8, 7-1): Union will face William Smith in the other semifinal after finishing the regular season in sole possession of second place—the program's first top-two finish since 2015. The Garnet Chargers earned that spot with a 3-1 comeback win over William Smith on November 1. Senior libero Georgia Pool came up big in that wil recording 23 digs.
 
Senior outside hitter Shannon McGrath ranks third in the Liberty League with 392 kills and averages 4.22 kills per set, making her one of the league's most dangerous attackers. Setting her up is Allie Kronenberg, who sits third in the conference with 995 assists, fueling Union's balanced offense.
 
SCOUTING WILLIAM SMITH (22-6, 6-2): The Herons enter championship weekend riding momentum after sweeping sixth-seeded Clarkson in Tuesday's quarterfinal. William Smith put on a dominant performance against Clarkson. The Herons put down 45 kills (.425), held a 44-21 edge in assists and a 41-29 advantage in digs.
 
William Smith is powered by Malya Sayre, who leads the team with 450 kills, averaging 4.74 kills per set. Sayre ranks first in the Liberty League and seventh nationally in kills per set, while also pacing the league with 5.60 points per set, a mark that ranks third in the nation. Delaney Williams also appears in the national rankings as she averages 10.93 assists per set, which ranks second in the nation.