CU Volleyball Preview - Liberty League Finals vs. Ithaca (11/4)

It's familiar territory for the Clarkson University Volleyball team as the Golden Knights will seek their sixth consecutive conference title when they face Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon in the Liberty League title game.

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The History: Only once in the seven years of the Liberty League Tournament has the championship match not been the one-seed versus the two-seed. Only in 2014 did third-seeded RIT make it to the championship round, losing to top-seeded Clarkson in three straight sets. The Golden Knights have won five straight conference titles and are in their seventh straight championship match, while Ithaca is in its third straight title match with two consecutive titles, both coming in the Empire 8.

The Series: Ithaca has won 25 times in 30 all-time meetings against Clarkson, but just twice in six chances since the start of the 2009 season. This year, the Knights started off strong with a six-point win in the first set against Ithaca, but Clarkson failed to reach 20 points in the next three as Ithaca gained a four-set victory, allowing the Bombers to enjoy home-court advantage in the championship match on Saturday.

Key Stats for Clarkson (20-7, 6-1 Liberty League): The Golden Knights performed well from the service line against Vassar, and that aspect has been a key for Clarkson's 10-match winning streak. Over her last 10 matches, Jillian Saenz has recorded 26 aces, including six against Vassar during the Liberty League Semifinals. Clarkson's defense has also stepped up as of late, thanks in large part to sophomore Kate Isaksen, who ranks first in all of Division III with 6.82 digs per set.

Key Stats for Ithaca (21-7, 6-1 Liberty League): Freshman Reagan Stone started slow, but the outside hitter has dominated lately for the Bombers. Overall, she has a .300 hitting percentage and is average 3.16 kills per set, but over her last six matches she has 100 kills (5.00 kps) with a hitting percentage of .395. Stone was the difference maker in the first match between the two teams, producing 18 kills with only two errors in 33 swings (.485 hitting percentage).

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Players Mentioned

#17 Kate Isaksen: L; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#7 Jillian Saenz: S; 5' 6"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#17 Kate Isaksen
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: L

#7 Jillian Saenz
: 5' 6"; Junior
: S

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

#17 Kate Isaksen

#7 Jillian Saenz

Players Mentioned

#17 Kate Isaksen

#7 Jillian Saenz