| Union vs #3 Ithaca - Liberty League Tournament Semifinals |
| Friday, November 13, 2026 • Ithaca, N.Y. • Ben Light Gymnasium • 4:00 PM |
| Live Stats • Video Stream |
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's volleyball team will appear in the Liberty League Tournament semifinals for the second season in a row, taking on top-seeded and third-ranked Ithaca College on Friday, Nov. 13 at 4 p.m. An upset over the Bombers would send Union to its first Liberty League Championship match since 2015.
THE TEAMS: Union (19-12, 5-3 Liberty League) finished fourth in the Liberty League, earning the right to host a first-round playoff game in the Liberty League Tournament. Ithaca (25-3, 8-0 Liberty League) went undefeated in conference play and is on an 18-match winning streak. The top-seeded Bombers earned a first-round bye into the semifinals and will host both semifinals matches as well as the championship on Saturday, regardless of the results Friday.
LAST TIME OUT: While Union was able to sweep fifth-seeded Clarkson on Tuesday in the first round, the Golden Knights made Union work to advance to the semis. Union erased a 9-2 deficit in the second set and faced set point from Clarkson in the third. Junior Georgia Pinciaro responded with back-to-back kills to flip match point to Union, and the Garnet Chargers persevered though a hectic point that had both sides out of system, eventually leading to a match-ending attack error from Clarkson. Pinciaro had nine kills and only one error in the win, first-year Johanna Melhorn stepped up with 13 kills and two block assists, and senior Graciela Escobar stepped into a big role with eight digs and 12 recepetions without an error.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: Union is making its eighth appearance in the Liberty League Tournament since the postseason switched to its current qualification format in 2011. Union is 4-7 in its six appearances (2013-16, 2022, 2024-25) and 1-5 as the lower seed. Union is 32-42 all-time in Liberty League Tournament play, including back-to-back Liberty League titles in 2007 and 2008 that saw Union go 4-0 each season.
UNION VS. ITHACA: The Garnet Chargers took the second set from Ithaca during a 3-1 loss on the road on Sept. 26. It was the first time Union took a set from the Bombers since 2018. Junior Kayla Martinez Cartagena had a team-leading 13 kills and junior Allie Kronenberg added a team-high 13 digs in the match. However, Ithaca was incredibly efficient on attack in the win, making only one error in each of its three set victories. Union took advantage of the team's one off set, putting down 13 kills on the way to taking the second stanza by a score of 25-20. The Bombers have won nine in a row over Union and own the all-time series 17-5. The two sides have only met once in the postseason, with Ithaca defeating Union in 1991 during the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association championship.
ABOUT UNION: The Garnet Chargers ended the regular season with 18 wins, marking the team's third straight winning season. Union began the year on a seven-match winning streak which was its best start to a season since 2015. Similarly, Union has also posted multiple winning streaks of at least seven matches, marking the first time a Union squad has done that since the 2015 campaign where it had streaks of eight and 14 wins in a row.
IN THE LEAD PACK: The Garnet Chargers are in the top-three of five team-statistical categories in the Liberty League, including ranking second in blocks (2.03). Union and Ithaca (2.32) are the only two conference teams to average more than two blocks per set. Entering the postseason, Union was on track to have its highest blocks-per-set average since 2010 (2.3) but fell below that pace after only having six blocks against Clarkson on Tuesday in the first round.
STARTING STRONG: Junior Allie Kronenberg has had the first serve for Union in 19 matches so far this season. On average, Union has won the first 2.11 points of the match when Kronenberg serves first, and she has accumulated 10 service aces during match-opening rallies. Kronenberg has also helped her team start off three separate matches with seven-point rallies while serving first.
TREACHEROUS TRIO: Seniors Maddie McCarron and Erin Stevens and first-year Johanna Melhorn are all in the top-12 in the Liberty League in hitting percentage and blocks per set. While Ithaca has four players in the top-12 in hitting percentage, and Vassar has three in the top-12 in blocks, Union is the only Liberty League school to have at least three players in both.
KMC & VM: Junior Kayla Martinez Cartagena leads Union offensively with 2.97 kills per set. Defensively, first-year Vanessa Morgan has a team-high 2.72 digs per set this season. She started her collegiate career out with a bang with 22 digs in a sweep over Manhattanville on Sept. 4 and has had 11 double-digit dig performances. She notched the first kill of her rookie season on Friday against NYU and had another against Clarkson in the playoffs.
ABOUT THE BOMBERS: Ithaca has not lost since Sept. 19, winning 18 matches in a row and only dropping five sets in the process. Addison Leadbetter leads the conference in blocks per set (1.23) and attack percentage (.392). The Bombers lead the league in five team stats, including the lowest opponent-service-ace per set at 1.52. The Bombers have the best hitting percentage in the country (.293) as well. Ithaca has won the past four Liberty League chapionships.
WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of the Union and Ithaca semifinal will play the winner of Vassar and William Smith. The Brewers and Herons face off after Union's semifinal, with both matches, as well as the subsequent championship on Saturday, being played at Ben Light Gymnasium.
