By LIAM O’BRIEN
Waltham Times Contributing Writer
It may have been frigid in Sioux Falls, S.D., with wind chills stretching below zero as the Bentley University volleyball team attempted to clinch its first ever berth in the NCAA DII women’s Final Four.
Inside the Sanford Pentagon sports complex, however, the temperature was turned up a notch as the eighth-seeded Falcons entered the decisive fifth set knotted up at 2-2 against top-seeded Ferris State in the Elite Eight matchup on Dec. 12.
“We knew we were the underdogs,” head coach Joey Pacis said. “That team was the odds-on favorite to win the whole thing, and our team knew that. By the time we got to that fifth set, we knew we could play with this team and that our strategy was working. Let’s just continue grinding and see what happens.”
Bentley secured two of the first three sets before Ferris State, who came into the contest with an unblemished record of 34-0, rallied for a convincing 25-12 winning of the fourth set. The Falcons were not fazed, punching the Final Four ticket by a score of 15-13 in the final stanza. Bentley rattled off eight of the final 11 points, carried by three consecutive service aces by junior Elizabeth Blinn to go up 13-11. Senior Rachel Vitko then managed to net a kill, and an attack error by Ferris State sealed the deal.
The victory marked the first time a No. 8 seed has made the national semifinals since the NCAA began its current seeding structure in 2016.
Bentley, which earned its spot in the quarterfinals by winning the NCAA East Regional Championship at the Dana Athletic Center in Waltham on Dec. 7, also became the first Northeast-10 team to advance to this juncture of the tournament.
“We got absolutely crushed in the fourth set,” Pacis said. “Going into the fifth set, I was talking to one of our student managers and we knew that if we could just make the side change with it being close, we’ll be on the good side where all of our fans are and we could maybe squeak this one out. Once you get to a fifth set, really anything can happen. Our team just showed a lot of focus. The poise and the way they carried themselves led to the victory.”
Freshman Sophia Poehlein spearheaded Bentley with 19 kills in the game. The performance carried Poehlein to a NCAA Division-II Volleyball All Tournament Team nod, the first such accolade in Falcons team history.
The scene inside the arena was one to remember as well. The Bentley team brought about 25 family and friends compared with Ferris State’s 100-plus supporters. The two sides were going at it throughout the game, leading to a raucous feel.
“It was a pretty cool atmosphere,” Pacis said.
The confidence displayed by the Falcons under this pressure was aided by the team’s experience the previous season. In 2023, Bentley also won the East Regional before falling at the hands of No. 1 seed Tampa in the Elite Eight.The Falcons came back with a vengeance in 2024.
“We saw glimpses in the opening weekend in Dallas,” said Pacis, referencing the squad’s performance at the Dallas Baptist Tournament to kick off the year. “It all went by so fast. There were a lot of matches this season that reflected the resilience of our team. The biggest thing was how quickly the new players fell into the culture and believed they could contribute and play at this level.”
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