ATLANTA, Ga. – The No. 12 Ithaca College volleyball team bounced back in dominant fashion on Saturday, sweeping Randolph-Macon in straight sets at the Emory Invitational. The Bombers rebounded after a tough loss to No. 15 Emory the previous night, overpowering a Yellow Jackets squad and would follow it up by winning a thrilling five-setter against (RV) Washington and Lee University as well.
 
NO. 12 ITHACA 3, RANDOLPH-MACON (25-16, 25-11, 25-19)
Ithaca came out firing in the opening set, racing to a 9–2 lead behind kills from Jayden Wiese, Addison Leadbetter, and Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu. Leadbetter's five kills paced the Bombers early, and despite a brief Randolph-Macon rally, a service error sealed a 25–16 first set win.
The second set was all Ithaca. After trading points early, Wesley Slavin sparked an eight-point run with an assist and a service ace, as the Bombers piled up seven kills during the stretch. Ithaca held Randolph-Macon to a .000 hitting percentage and cruised to a 25–11 victory.
 
The third set featured more back-and-forth action before Ithaca surged ahead with a 6–1 run, highlighted by two kills from Zoe Strachan. The Yellow Jackets fought back to cut the deficit to three, but Wiese's career-high 17th kill and Randolph-Macon's 17th attack error closed out the match, 25–20.
 
Wiese led all players with 17 kills, while Gonzalez-Abreu delivered her 18th double-digit kill performance of the season and added team highs in service aces, blocks, and digs. Slavin dished out a match-best 37 assists, and Leadbetter contributed eight kills on an impressive .667 hitting percentage, maintaining her spot among the Liberty League's top 10 in efficiency.
 
NO. 12 ITHACA 3, (RV) WASHINGTON AND LEE (22-25, 25-14, 25-16, 17-25, 15-13)
Ithaca College went point for point with Washington and Lee in the opening set. Back-to-back kills from Wesley Slavin and Jayden Wiese gave the Bombers an 8–6 edge, and the teams continued to trade points until the score was tied at 20–20. Despite Ithaca's fight, the Generals closed the set on a service run to take it 25–22.
 
The Bombers responded with fire in the second set. After another tight start, Ithaca broke away at 13–8 behind a strong service run from Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu. The Bombers dominated the rest of the frame, capped by back-to-back kills from Wiese to secure a 25–14 win.
 
Ithaca carried that momentum into the third set, jumping out to a 3–0 lead thanks to a service run by Addison Leadbetter. Another run from Ellie Benedict extended the advantage to 12–3, and the Bombers never looked back, closing the set 25–16 with kills from Gonzalez-Abreu and Leadbetter.
 
The fourth set started slowly for Ithaca, as Washington and Lee built a 10–3 lead. The Bombers rallied late with a service run from Benedict to cut the deficit to 21–16, but the Generals held on for a 25–17 victory to force a deciding set.
 
In the fifth, Ithaca came out with electric energy. Back-to-back kills from Gonzalez-Abreu put the Bombers ahead 5–2, and they extended the lead to 8–3 at the side switch. Washington and Lee mounted a late push, but Ithaca held strong to clinch the match 15–13.
 
The Bombers were led by Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu with 23 kills, Wesley Slavin with 53 assists, and Ellie Benedict with 34 digs.
 
Next up, Ithaca College (24-4, 8-0 Liberty League) will take on the winner of No. 5 seeded Vassar and No. 4 Skidmore in the semifinals of the Liberty League Championships slated for 4 p.m. on Friday, November 15. Ithaca hosts at Ben Light Gymnasium with Union playing the winner of No. 3 William Smith and No. 6 Clarkson at 6:30 p.m.