The Ithaca College volleyball team has high hopes for the postseason after securing three consecutive Liberty League Championship Tournament titles and finishing No. 20 in the country for women’s Division III volleyball. Although they face a challenging schedule, the strong group of returning players aims to make it deep into the NCAA Championships.

According to the NCAA, the ranking system behind all D-III championship bids changed prior to the 2024-25 season. Head coach Tara Stilwell ’19 said the new NCAA Power Index makes it less beneficial than previous seasons to play highly ranked teams, so many lower-ranked teams are unwilling to play the Bombers. As a result, the Bombers are playing six of the top 10 ranked teams in the country, up from four last season.

Stilwell said that the team needs to be strategic with its wins.

“[Juniata College] has won three national championships in a row,” Stilwell said. “We played them last year, and we lost to them, but we were winning in the third set at some point. So we say, ‘OK, we’re not expected to win that game, but if we could win this one and that one—we’re just talking about building a safety net for if we don’t win Liberty Leagues. Can we get ourselves into the NCAA tournament through NPI alone?’”

Five players graduated at the end of Spring 2025, but the team still has a strong upperclassman presence that knows what to expect from the postseason. Junior outside hitter Naomi Clauhs said her experience with the NCAA championships has shifted her headspace and helped her see the game through a new lens.

“I started picking up more on different teams’ blocking styles and patterns and who they’re focusing on,” Clauhs said.

Stilwell said that she is hoping for a breakout season from Clauhs, along with junior setter Wesley Slavin and junior outside hitter Gabriela Gonzalez-Abreu. All three were selected for the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America teams.

Alongside making the All-American Second Team, Slavin made her mark in the record book. She is currently No. 11 in the program’s all-time assists.

“Having that ranking for [Slavin] is a good motivator,” Clauhs said. “She has that at the back of her mind, wanting to keep up with that and pushing that even further, and having those titles on the team just shows the strength and the level we’re at.”

Confident returning players does not mean the team isn’t bringing new ideas to the table. Stilwell announced the hiring of assistant coach Mark Lucas June 16. Lucas coached men’s and women’s volleyball for over 20 years at Wells College and Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in Japan.

“Blocking in the men’s game is a lot bigger than it is in the women’s game, especially at our level,” Stilwell said. “So with [Lucas] coming in, we talked about his ability to bring blocking training and techniques from the men’s game into the women’s game.”

Stilwell said that she believes one or two more blocks a set would separate the Bombers from the competition and help them reach the next level of play.

During the hiring process, Stilwell said she separated the team into two groups to meet both assistant coach candidates. Graduate student Ellie Benedict, a defensive specialist, said when her group met Lucas, the decision was almost immediate.

“It was pretty unanimous in that group that went with him,” Benedict said. “He’s such a kind soul and someone so easy to talk to with so much knowledge for the game.”

Benedict played in every set last season, leading the team in service aces. As a captain and a graduate student, she said her biggest goal for this season is to savor every moment with the team.

“This is my last go-around,” Benedict said. “So being there for my team, my coaches, my community here—it’s really important to me.”

Clauhs is also focused on community. She said her goal for the team is to get stronger together, as well as the “hefty” goal of getting further into the NCAA championships than last season. Clauhs said that although the Bombers face pressure to keep their position as Liberty League champions, they are confident in their abilities.

“It raises the stakes,” Clauhs said. “We know that a higher level is possible.”

Benedict, Clauhs and Stilwell all said to keep an eye on the Bombers’ matchup with the Juniata College Eagles, who won the past three national championships. The two teams will go head-to-head Sept. 6 in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.

The Bombers will play next at 5 p.m. Sep 6 in Huntington, Pennsylvania. They will face off against the Marietta College Pioneers.