Hoboken, N.J.--The Bombers (22-16, 6-2 Empire 8) will compete Saturday at the Empire 8 Championship Tournament, hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology. As the tournament's third seed, Ithaca will take on Nazareth in the semifinal round. The match is set to begin at 2:30 p.m. Fans can follow all of the weekend's matches through Live Stats. The championship match will be broadcast by Empire 8 TV.
Ithaca is making its seventh appearance the Empire 8 tournament, the first since 2007. The team won the conference title in 2004 and 2005, and also advanced to the championship match in 2002. The Bombers are 1-2 against the Golden Flyers in three meetings in the conference tournament.
The winner of the match will play the winner of the semifinal match between St. John Fisher and host Stevens. The championship match will be played at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Empire 8 champion will receive an automatic bid the NCAA Championship Tournament.
The Bombers had three players on the 2009 Empire 8 all-star team. Senior setter Corinna Doctor (Skaneateles/Skaneateles) was a first-team selection for the second time in her career. She leads Ithaca and the Empire 8 with 1,240 assists on the season. She became the Bombers' all-time leader in assists this season, and now has 5,431 in her career. Doctor also has 46 aces in 2009 and 279 in her career. She needs four more to become the career leader in that category. Doctor also ranks second on the Bombers with 379 digs.
Senior Rachel Busch (Hoover/North Canton, Ohio) was a second-team all-Empire 8 selection. She leads the team and ranks third in the conference with 413 kills on the season. Busch has also contributed 35 total blocks.
Sophomore Kate Thoene (Voorhees/High Bridge, N.J.) received honorable mention to the all-Empire 8 team. She has a team-leading 93 blocks, and ranks second on the Bombers with 377 kills. She stands fourth in the Empire 8 in kills.
Sophomore Karin Edsall (Cornwall/Cornwall Central) has totaled 255 kills and 81 blocks this season. Classmate Elizabeth Previte (Hunterdon/Flemington, N.J.) has added 100 kills and 55 blocks, as well as 40 aces. Sophomore Chelsea Hayes (North Valley Regional/Haworth, N.J.) has recorded 138 kills and 23 blocks in just 90 sets.
Junior Tina Orlandini (Flintridge Scared Heart/Altadena, Calif.) paces the Empire 8 with 660 digs. She has 1,398 in her career, ranking 10th in Ithaca history. She has also tallied 41 aces. Fellow junior Taylor Horton (Lakeridge/Lake Oswego, Ore.) leads the team with 63 aces and has contributed 304 digs.