Volleyball Heads to Florida to Open 2023 Season
WALTHAM, Mass. – The Bentley University volleyball team opens the 2023 season on Friday in Florida, a season that they aim to highlight with a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
NE10 co-regular season champions in 2022, the Falcons begin this season in Davie, Florida at the Sharks Invitational, hosted by Nova Southeastern. They take on Dominican (N.Y.) and Seton Hill on Friday, and Eckerd and Nova Southeastern on Saturday.
All matches this weekend will be streamed live at https://www.sunshinestateconference.tv/novasoutheastern/?bfplayvid=591308
2022 was another strong season for the Falcons volleyball program. They claimed a share of the NE10 regular season championship with an 11-1 conference record. That was the 14th NE10 regular season title in program history.
They were then selected as the No. 3 seed in the East Region, a third straight NCAA berth and 15th overall.
Head coach Joey Pacis, now in his 10th year at Bentley and a four-time NE10 Coach of the Year in his career, has 12 players back from last season's team and five newcomers.
Co-captains Ingrid Murphy and Ellie Wheeler were both named first team All-Conference last season. Murphy, a captain for a third straight season, tacked on All-Region honorable mention honors and Wheeler was voted to the Academic All-Conference team.
Wheeler and Murphy were one-two on the team in kills last season. Senior Caitlin Wunder was tied for third on the team with 157 total kills and junior Rachel Vitko was third in kills per set at 2.30.
Setters Angie Grabmeier and Natalie Thom, both seniors, will look to continue racking up the assists. Thom averaged 4.09 assists per set last season, which ranked in the top-20 in the NE10. Grabmeier was third on the team in total assists in 2022.
Junior libero Jazzy Burke ranked 7th in the NE10 last season with 3.96 digs per set. She was named the NE10 Libero of the Week once and was chosen to the Weekly Honor roll four times. Burke also led the Falcons in aces last season with 47.
Sophomore middle blocker Elizabeth Blinn will look to build on her freshman season where she was voted to the All-Rookie team after she notched 50 total blocks.
After returning from Florida, the Falcons will host the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament for the second straight season and fourth time overall on the weekend of Sept. 8. They will take on American International and New Haven on the 8th and Tampa one day later.
The NE10 opener is at home against Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday, Sept. 26, the first of 11 conference matches. That leads up to the NE10 playoffs, which get underway on Nov. 14.