WALTHAM, Mass. – The 2018-19 Bentley University athletic year will get underway Saturday afternoon at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. when the Falcon women's volleyball team will play a pair of matches.

Coming off a 19-10 season, Bentley will open at noon against Georgian Court and will follow that with a 2 pm encounter against West Chester University. The GCU Lions were 14-20 a year ago while the WCU Golden Rams finished 2017 at 24-9 following a first-round loss in the NCAA Atlantic Regional.

Fifth-year head coach Joey Pacis has a combination of both experience and promising youth on his 2018 team, which includes representatives of nine states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The returnees include three players who were recognized last November when the All-Northeast-10 Conference teams were announced. Junior Dani Milner (Plano, Texas/Greenhill School) was a first-team All-Conference honoree, junior co-captain Rachel Bruno (San Diego, Calif./Francis Parker HS) was a second-team selection and sophomore Kirsten Segaline (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain HS) was voted to the All-Rookie Team.

That trio were Bentley's top three last year in terms of kills, combining for 8.2 per set. Milner was the only NE10 player to average at least 3.2 kills, 3.2 digs and 0.5 blocks, and Bruno led the conference in hitting, swinging at better than a .400 success rate in NE10 matches. Segaline's rookie season included 2.5 kills and 2.5 digs per set.

Pacis has two experienced setters that he can depend on, senior co-captain Krista Campbell (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North HS) and junior Xio Lopp (Kalispell, Mont./Flathead HS). Campbell averaged 9.9 assists in 44 sets and Lopp 8.7 in 67 sets. Lopp was also third on the team in blocks with her 52 the most by any NE10 player with at least 30 assists.

The team's three freshmen have impressed during the preseason with Pacis expecting Shannon Ngo (San Rafael, Calif./Terra Linda HS), Amanda Parker (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North HS) and Katie Rounds (McFarland, Wisc./McFarland HS), along with red-shirt freshman Mallory Burbage (Bow Mar, Colo./Littleton HS), to all have an opportunity to contribute on this year's team.

Bentley's first 11 matches are away from home, including a trip to Daytona Beach, Fla. for next weekend's Embry-Riddle University Tournament. That rough early slate also includes trips to Connecticut and New Hampshire.