WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University women's volleyball team will begin defense of the title it won in 2019 when the Northeast-10 Conference Championships get underway Tuesday night with quarterfinal play.

Bentley earned the fourth seed with a four-set road victory over New Haven Saturday afternoon and will host fifth-seeded Southern Connecticut State in the Dana Center Tuesday at 7 pm. The match can be viewed on the NE10 Digital Network.

The other quarterfinal matches will have top-seeded American International College taking on Assumption University, number seven Southern New Hampshire on the road at second-seeded New Haven and third-seeded Stonehill College at home against Saint Anselm College.

The highest surviving seed will host the final two rounds Friday and Saturday.

In the regular season meeting between the Falcons and Owls, Bentley earned a four-set homecourt victory. Southern took the opening set 25-18 but the rest of the match belonged to the Falcons, 25-17, 25-22 and 25-20. Sophomore Ellie Wheeler (Olathe, Kans./Saint James Academy) put up a 17-kill, 15-dig double-double, junior Ingrid Murphy (Cotuit/Barnstable HS) had 23 digs and senior setter Amanda Parker (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North HS) amassed 46 assists and 16 digs.

Bentley, which rallied for five-set victories over Saint Anselm and American International to earn the 2019 conference championship, finished the regular season with records of 14-11 overall and 9-4 NE10. The Falcons shared fourth place with Saint Anselm and Southern Connecticut, but gained the fourth slot by virtue of a 2-0 record against those teams.

Southern Connecticut won six of its last seven and will enter the NE10's with a 23-9 overall record.

In addition to playing for a berth in the conference semis, this match could also have an impact on NCAA Division II tournament selection. In last week's East Region rankings, Bentley was listed seventh and Southern was eighth.

Wheeler leads the conference in kills per set, averaging 3.84, while the Owls' Gabriela Galibur is number one in total kills (364). Parker enters the postseason third in the NE10 in assists (10.13) and fifth in aces (0.44).

NE10 Volleyball Championship

Tues., November 16 - Quarterfinals 
Match 1: #8 Assumption at #1 American International, 7:00 pm
Match 2: #7 Southern New Hampshire at #2 New Haven, 7:00 pm
Match 3: #6 Saint Anselm at #3 Stonehill, 7:00 pm
Match 4: #5 Southern Connecticut at #4 Bentley, 7:00 pm

Fri., November 19 - Semifinals
(at highest remaining seed following the quarterfinal matches)
Match 5: Match 1 winner vs. Match 4 winner  
Match 6: Match 2 winner vs. Match 3 winner 

Sat., November 20 - Championship ­
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner