WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University's bid for the Northeast-10 Conference tournament championship came to an end Thursday night when the second-seeded Falcons were upset by number seven Southern Connecticut State, 3-1, in the Dana Center. The scores were 25-23, 25-15, 15-25 and 25-20.

The Falcons, who were second in this week's NCAA Division II East Region, will now have to wait until the NCAA selection show Sunday night at 10:30 pm to find out when and where they'll play again.

Bentley had no answer for Southern senior outside hitter Gabrielle Gaibur (Monroe, N.Y.). She finished with 21 kills, 10 digs and a .500 hitting percentage. Gaibur had eight kills without an error in the first set, three in the second, four in the third and six in the fourth.

After having the lead and the serve only once during the first two sets, Bentley came to life in the third. Ahead 14-11, the Falcons closed strong, scoring 11 of the final 14 points.

In that set, senior Ingrid Murphy (Cotuit/Barnstable HS) and junior Ellie Wheeler (Olathe, Kan./Saint James Academy) combined for nine kills, and graduate setter Amanda Parker (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North HS) recorded ten assists.

The Owls (17-14) bounced back in the fourth, never relinquishing the lead after starting off 3-0.

Murphy finished with 15 kills and a career-best equaling 25 digs. Wheeler established a new season-high with 17 kills and Parker amassed 24 assists, five kills, seven digs and two blocks.

Freshman middle Elizabeth Blinn (Concord, N.H./Concord HS) hit .462 with six kills and four blocks for the Falcons.

              Bentley, which hit only .195, had a tough night with five setting errors, eight serving errors and three ball-handling errors.

              The NE10 semifinals will be played Saturday at American International with Adelphi University and Southern  New Hampshire joining the Owls and the host Yellow Jackets.