MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – As announced during Monday's NCAA Division III Selection Show, the nationally ranked No. 12 Ithaca College volleyball team is headed back to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament for the 10th consecutive season. The Bombers will travel to Wesleyan University (Conn.) for regional play, opening with a Thursday afternoon matchup against Plymouth State. Joining Ithaca in the Wesleyan regional are the host Cardinals, Colby, Marymount, Babson, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, and NYU.
 
Ithaca climbed to No. 12 in the latest AVCA/TARAFLEX Coaches Poll released Tuesday. Colby enters as the highest-ranked team in the regional at No. 7, while Wesleyan (No. 17) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps also appear in the national rankings.
 
Fresh off their fourth straight Liberty League Championship, Ithaca (26-4) dominated conference play and enters the tournament having won 22 of its last 23 matches. The Bombers boast a 6-1 record on neutral courts and will meet Plymouth State for the first time in program history. The Panthers earned an automatic bid as Little East Conference champions—their first league title in 21 years.
 
Plymouth State runs a 6-2 system led by graduate student Ella Koelb, who has posted a team-high 315 kills and ranks second on the squad with 496 assists. Koelb also adds 43 aces, 37 blocks, and averages 2.30 digs per set. She recently earned AVCA All-Region 1 First Team honors.
 
Ithaca enters regional play swinging at a .257 hitting percentage, ninth-best in Division III. Naomi Clauhs and Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu lead the Bombers' attack with 422 and 390 kills, respectively. Junior setter Wesley Slavin ranks 10th nationally in assists per set (10.43) and has totaled a career-best 1,106 assists this season. The Bombers defensive backline is led by graduate libero Ellie Benedict who has amassed 590 digs, which ranks 16^th in Division III.
 
The following are the scheduled start times for this weekend's Regional Rounds with first round play beginning on Thursday.

Thursday, November 20, 2025
NCAA Opening Round (Round of 64)
Match 1: Babson (22-7) vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (20-7) – 11:30 a.m.
Match 2: Colby (23-3) vs. Marymount (17-16) – 2 p.m.
Match 3: Ithaca (26-4) vs. Plymouth State (23-7) – 4:30 p.m.
Match 4: Wesleyan (20-3) vs. NYU (19-11) – 7 p.m.
 
Friday, November 21, 2025
NCAA Regional Semifinals (Round of 32)
Match 5: Winner of Match #1 vs. Match #2 Winner - 4:30 p.m.
Match 6: Winner of Match #3 vs. Match #4 Winner - 7:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, November 22, 2025
NCAA Regional Championships (Round of 16)
Match 7: Winner of Match #5 vs. Match #6 Winner - 5:00 p.m.
 
Tickets: The prices are as follows:

All-Session Tickets:  
Adult - $20
Senior Citizen - $12 
Students with ID - $12
Children (ages 2-12 yrs) - $8
Children under 2 yrs – free
 
The winner of Thursday's matchup will face the winner of Wesleyan vs. NYU in Friday's regional semifinal at 7 p.m.