SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Bentley volleyball team's outstanding freshman duo of Sophia Poehlein and Tory Vitko saved its best for the Northeast-10's biggest stage, but the Falcons ultimately came up short in four sets (25-19, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19), Saturday night.

It was Bentley's first NE10 Championship match since 2019, when the Falcons beat AIC in five sets.

Poehlein put away a season-high 22 kills on her way to earning an All-NE10 Tournament Team nod. Vitko had a season-high 51 assists for Bentley.

Four Falcons posted double-digit digs, led by Jazzy Burke's 18. Poehlein had 13 digs, while Erica Borzone and Ali Steussi both came away with 10. The Falcons' defensive efforts didn't end there. Elizabeth Blinn and Lauren McCloskey had five blocks, each.

Bentley started out the match slowly, as the Yellow Jackets raced out to a 12-4 lead in the opening set. Midway through the frame Poehlein and Wunder put away consecutive kills to bring the Falcons to within 17-14. Bentley stayed within three points, 21-18, following a Rachel Vitko kill, but the Falcon's couldn't close the gap any further in the first set.

The second set was more closely contested. Neither team led by more than two points until an AIC error gave Bentley a 12-9 edge. AIC eventually claimed a 19-18 lead, but that's when a kill by McCloskey sparked a 7-0 run to close out the set in favor of the Falcons. Poehlein put away two kills during the run, and McCloskey sealed the second set with another kill.

AIC ran out to a 6-1 lead in the third set, but the Falcons quickly bounced back, and consecutive kills by Rachel Vitko evened the score, 10-10. The Falcons took a three-point lead, 18-15, following back-to-back kills from Poehlein and Wunder. However, the Yellow Jackets promptly went on a 6-0 run to pull away and win the third set.

The fourth set was knotted up, 12-12, thanks to a kill by McCloskey. However, that was the final time in the match that AIC did not have the lead. The Yellow Jackets went on a 6-1 run for an 18-13 lead, and they finished the set with a final score of 25-19.

Bentley, which entered the contest ranked No. 1 in the NCAA D-II East Region, awaits its NCAA Championship fate from the selection committee.