HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Ithaca College women's volleyball team faced a pair of nationally ranked opponents in two highly anticipated matchups on Saturday at the Asics Invitational, hosted by Juniata College. The Bombers first squared off against No. 15 Marietta College, falling in three sets (25–18, 25–17, 25–19), before taking on top-ranked Juniata in the nightcap. Ithaca was resilient in each set against the Eagles as they held leads and swiped the third before falling 3-1 (19-26, 26-24, 23-25, 21-25)
 
No. 15 MARIETTA 3, NO. 18 ITHACA 0 (18-25, 17-25 19-25)
 
Against Marietta, the Pioneers opened the first set with a 4–0 run. Ithaca responded with kills from Naomi Clauhs and Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu, but Marietta answered with another surge to take a 12–5 lead. The Bombers trailed by as many as 10 points and couldn't contain Marietta's momentum, dropping the opening set 25–18.
 
Ithaca started strong in the second set, jumping out to a 5–1 lead. Marietta quickly responded to tie the score at 5–5, then pulled ahead with key blocks from Kamryn Haynes to go up 12–9. Despite service errors on both sides tightening the score, Marietta pulled away late to take the set 25–17.
 
The third set featured a back-and-forth battle. Solid assists from Wesley Slavin and kills from Clauhs gave Ithaca a 5–3 edge early. Slavin continued to connect with hitters Addison Leadbetter and Gonzalez-Abreu midway through the set, but the Bombers couldn't hold off Marietta's attack. The Pioneers closed out the match with a 25–18 win in the third to capture the sweep.
 
Naomi Clauhs led the Bombers with 12 kills, Wesley Slavin tallied 24 assists, and Ellie Benedict added 10 digs.
 
NO. 1 JUNIATA 3, NO. 18 ITHACA, 2 (19-25, 26-24, 23-25, 21-25)
A string of kills from Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu helped the Bombers rally from an early deficit to tie the opening set at 8–8. However, the Eagles were dominant at the net, tallying 14 kills while hitting at a .289 clip. They seized momentum midway through the set, building a 20–11 lead before closing it out with an Ava Gummer kill.
 
Juniata jumped out to an 8–2 lead in the second set, but the Bombers responded with a run sparked by a Naomi Clauhs kill and capped by three straight from Gonzalez-Abreu, narrowing the gap to 9–8. With first year Addison Leadbetter at the service line, IC surged ahead 15–11, thanks in part to a service ace. The teams traded points down the stretch, but the Bombers prevailed after the set was tied at 22. Clauhs came up clutch with back-to-back kills to seal the win.
 
With the match tied 1–1, the Bombers carried their momentum into the third set, building a 10–5 lead behind a Wesley Slavin assist on a Gonzalez-Abreu kill. IC dominated the middle portion of the set with an 8–0 run to go up 19–10. Clauhs added two more kills to make it 22–15, but Juniata clawed back and ultimately edged out a 25–23 win.
 
The Bombers continued to pressure the nation's top-ranked team in the fourth set, keeping them out of system. After a back-and-forth start, an attacking error by Audrey Muth tied the score at 15–15. IC pulled ahead 21–18 following a Slavin service ace and a Juniata setting error. But the Eagles locked in on their home court and closed the set and the match on a 7–0 run.
 
Junior outside hitter Naomi Clauhs led the Bombers with 15 kills, followed by Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu with 13. Wesley Slavin recorded a double-double with 33 assists and 15 digs, and added a team-best three service aces.
 
Ithaca College will continue its challenging non-conference slate at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational. The Bombers will face No. 4 Johns Hopkins on Friday, September 12, followed by Saturday matchups against (RV) Carnegie Mellon and No. 8 MIT at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.