ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 15 Ithaca College women's volleyball team played in its first postseason match of the 2025 season and produced a straight-set victory over Skidmore College (25-16, 25-21, 25-11) in the Liberty League Championship semifinal Friday evening inside Ben Light Gymnasium. With the win, the Bombers improve to 25-4 overall, while Skidmore concludes its season at 16-10.
Ithaca showcased balance and efficiency on offense, hitting .333 as a team with 47 kills and just 13 errors. Leading the attack was
Naomi Clauhs, who tallied a match-high 14 kills on .257 hitting, while
Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu added 13 kills and hit .286.
Jayden Wiese was nearly unstoppable with 13 kills on .579 hitting, and
Addison Leadbetter chipped in seven kills at a .417 clip. Setter
Wesley Slavin directed the offense with 36 assists, and Ithaca's defense contributed four team blocks and 43 digs.
The Bombers jumped out to an early lead with three-straight points that included an ace from first year
Addison Leadbetter. Skidmore responded with a point of their own before the Bombers continued to dominate the scoreboard proceeding to go on a six-point run to take the lead at 15-8. Kills from Leadbetter and junior
Naomi Clauhs extended the lead to 17-8. Ithaca was able to score the final three points, which included two more successful swings from Clauhs and an opponent attacking error.
After taking the opening set 25-16, Ithaca faced its toughest challenge in the second frame. The Bombers led early at 7-6, but Skidmore surged ahead with five straight points for an 11-7 advantage and later extended the margin to 14-9. Ithaca responded with a five-point run featuring three kills and an ace to tie the set at 14-14. The teams traded points until a kill from
Addison Leadbetter gave Ithaca an 18-17 lead. From there, the Bombers closed strong, highlighted by two kills from Clauhs during a late three-point spurt, and sealed the set 25-21.
The third set opened with both teams trading points before Ithaca jumped ahead 5-3 behind two kills from
Jayden Wiese. After Skidmore earned a point, the Bombers erupted for a five-point run, fueled by two kills from Gonzalez-Abreu, to make it 10-4. Ithaca continued to apply pressure, stretching the lead to 13-7 and then delivering an impressive six-point surge that included two aces from Slavin, pushing the score to 19-7. Kills from Wiese and Gonzalez-Abreu extended the margin to 22-10, and Ithaca closed the match with three straight points for a decisive 25-11 win.
Skidmore was led by Chloe Heitman, who finished with eight kills, while the Thoroughbreds hit .093 as a team.
With the victory, Ithaca advances to the Liberty League Championship match on Saturday, where the Bombers will host the No. 3 seed William Smith at 5:00 p.m. inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The winner earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.
