SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In the history of Northeast-10 volleyball, no team has gone this deep into the NCAA D-II Championship. Bentley prepares to take on Lynn in the NCAA D-II Championship Final Four Friday, Dec. 13, in the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Match time is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and is available to stream on ESPN+.
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Bentley entered the NCAA Elite Eight as the #8 seed, and it pulled off a historic victory over #1 Ferris State in five sets. Not only was Ferris State the top-ranked team in the nation, but it was undefeated (34-0) before meeting Bentley.
Bentley freshman
Sophia Poehlein had a match-high 19 kills against Ferris State, and senior
Rachel Vitko added 16. Four Falcons totaled double-digit digs, led by 19 from senior libero
Jazzy Burke. Graduate student
Caitlin Wunder put away 12 kills, marking her sixth consecutive match with double-digit kills.
The NCAA began re-seeding for the Elite Eight in 2016, and Bentley is the only #8 seed since then to advance to the Final Four.
Lynn is the #4 seed, and it swept #5 Wingate in an Elite Eight matchup Thursday (Dec. 12). Samantha Wolf had 19 kills in the victory, and Aline Olegario had six blocks.
The Fighting Knights won the program's first-ever NCAA South Regional title this year. The team placed a program-record five All-Americans - as selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
Bentley and Lynn are the two best defensive teams in the Final Four. Bentley's .124 opponent hitting percentage ranks seventh in the nation, and Lynn's .136 mark ranks 17
th. Bentley junior
Elizabeth Blinn ranks second in the nation for blocks per set (1.47). She totaled six blocks in the win over Ferris State.
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