ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 15 Ithaca College volleyball team claimed the 2025 Liberty League Championship for the fourth-straight season on Saturday evening with a dramatic five-set victory over William Smith inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers battled through momentum swings to secure their latest crown by scores of 23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 18-25, 15-13, improving to 26-4 overall and remaining a perfect 15-0 on their home court.
 
After dropping a tightly contested opening set, Ithaca responded with dominant performances in the second and third frames, hitting .353 and .462 respectively. William Smith forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-18 win in the fourth, but Ithaca showed its championship resolve in the final frame. The Bombers raced out to an early lead and held off a late Heron surge to clinch the match, with the Liberty League Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu accounting for seven of her 18 kills in the set. She recorded her second-straight double-double, chipping in 12 digs.
 
 
William Smith opened the match with an early 8-4 lead, but Ithaca answered with a 5-0 run capped by a Naomi Clauhs kill to take a 9-8 advantage. The teams traded points all the way to a 20-20 tie before the Herons closed out the set, as Arielle Newsome connected on a kill through the middle.
 
The Bombers responded in the second set by racing out to a 14-6 lead following an Ellie Benedict ace and two-straight Gonzalez-Abreu kills. They would continue to roll again going on two separate extended scoring runs and brought it to a set point when Naomi Clauhs connected on another kill to make it 24-13. Following two-straight Herons points, the set was finally clinched following a Malya Sayre service error.
 
First year Addison Leadbetter really showed out during the third frame connecting on 4-of-6 swings, while also serving up an ace. With Ithaca up 16-15, the Bombers closed the set well scoring nine of the next 14 points to take a 2-1 lead.
 
Neither team backed down in the fourth set, which featured eight ties and five lead changes. The Herons' defense limited Ithaca to a .147 hitting percentage, while Malaya Sayre delivered six kills in the frame. A successful swing from Sayre and an ace by Madilyn Kresl pushed William Smith ahead 19-16, and the Herons closed the set on a 6-2 run to force a decisive fifth.
 
Gonzalez-Abreu came up big in the fifth set, sparking Ithaca with a cross-court kill followed by a Karina Garcia service ace that put the Bombers ahead 6-3. The junior then tallied three of the next five points to give IC a 9-5 cushion. William Smith clawed back to make it 11-10, but Naomi Clauhs answered with two kills that pushed the lead to 13-11 and had the Ben Light Gymnasium crowd on its feet. Gonzalez-Abreu then delivered the set point at 14-12 and sealed the championship with one final powerful swing.
 

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Naomi Clauhs led the attack with 22 kills on a .316 hitting percentage. Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu added 18 kills, while Addison Leadbetter chipped in 15 kills at a .440 clip. Setter Wesley Slavin directed the offense with 55 assists and contributed defensively with 12 digs, while graduate libero Ellie Benedict anchored the back row with 16 digs and two service aces.
 
 
With the Liberty League title secured, Ithaca earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Tournament selections will be announced on Monday at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.