WALTHAM, Mass. – Sophomore Ellie Wheeler (Olathe, Kans./Saint James Academy) had 17 kills, the 12^th straight match she's reached double figures, and freshman Jazzy Burke (Lake George, N.Y./Lake George HS) served a career-high six aces as fourth-seeded Bentley University began defense of the Northeast-10 Conference women's volleyball championship it won in 2019 with a four-set victory over number five Southern Connecticut State Tuesday night at the Dana Center.

The 25-21, 30-28, 18-25, 25-19 quarterfinal win propelled the Falcons (15-11) into Friday's semifinals at American International College.

The come-from-behind win in the second set gave Bentley a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. After trailing 24-18, the Falcons ran off seven straight points to claim a one-point advantage, 25-24. Six of the seven came via the kill, including three from junior Ingrid Murphy (Cotuit/Barnstable HS) and two from senior Katie Rounds (McFarland, Wis./McFarland HS).

The Owls (23-9) tied the set three times before a kill from freshman Rachel Vitko (Dover, N.H./Dover HS) and a shared block from Murphy and senior Shannon Ngo (San Rafael, Calif./Terra Linda HS) gave Bentley the 2-0 advantage.

In the fourth, Bentley used a 12-3 run to open an 18-10 lead. Included were three aces by Burke and two Wheeler kills. Murphy provided match point with her 13^th kill of the night.

Murphy had a strong night with 17 digs, four aces and two blocks in addition to the 13 kills. She's recorded 19 aces in the Falcons' last five matches. Burke, in addition to the six aces, contributed 13 digs and nine assists.

Senior Amanda Parker (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North HS) added 34 assists and a career-best 27 digs.

For Southern, grad student Gabriela Vasquez (Alta Vega, P.R.) had 12 kills, 12 digs and three blocks.

As a team, Bentley doubled the Owls in aces, 14-7.

In Friday's semifinals, Bentley will face AIC, the tournament's number one seed, and New Haven will take on Stonehill.