DENVER, Colo. – The No. 21 Bentley volleyball team competed in the prestigious Colorado Premier for the first time in program history Friday. The tournament features eight nationally ranked teams, two of which the Falcons battled in the opening day. Bentley lost to No. 5 West Texas A&M and No. 15 Point Loma, both in four sets.

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Bentley 1, West Texas A&M 3 (26-24, 25-15, 22-25, 25-22)
The Falcons immediately tested the top-five nationally ranked team, but West Texas A&M prevailed in four sets.  

Bentley began the opening set with a 4-1 lead, and the advantage remained three points at 9-6. From there, however, West Texas A&M went on a 4-0 run for its first lead of the match.

The Falcons pulled back in front, and a Sophia Poehlein ace gave Bentley a 15-12 lead. That Falcon advantage was short-lived, as West Texas A&M went on a 7-1 run to take a 19-16 lead.

The Falcons were down, 22-19, when a Poehlein kill started a 4-0 Bentley run for 23-22 Edge.

West Texas A&M scored the following two points. Down 24-23, an Elizabeth Blinn kill kept the set alive for Bentley. Still, West Texas A&M tallied the next two points to win the opening frame.

Bentley won the third set, despite facing an 8-3 deficit. The Falcons trailed, 16-12, when a West Texas A&M service error was the start of a 6-1 run for Bentley. The Falcons took an 18-17 lead. The set was briefly tied, 18-18, but kills by Katelyn Rutledge and Lulu Pavan, along with a West Texas A&M error, allowed Bentley to a take a three-point lead. Blinn closed out the set, 25-22, with a kill.  

West Texas A&M hit .269 as a team last year, but it was held to .197 against Falcons Friday. Bentley totaled 16 blocks, including six by Blinn and four by Rutledge.

Blinn also came away with 14 kills, Rutledge totaled 12 kills, and Poehlein reached 10. Tory Vitko finished with a season-high 43 assists.
 
Bentley 1, Point Loma 3 (25-21, 21-25, 25-16, 25-18)
Tory Vitko recorded her fourth double-double of the season, and a trio Falcons achieved double-digit kills, but Bentley came up short against No. 15 Point Loma.

Vitko had 32 assists and 10 digs against Point Loma. Katelyn Rutledge and Lulu Pavan both put away 12 kills, while Sophia Poehlein finished with 10.

In the opening set, neither team led by more than three points up until Point Loma took a 24-20 lead. A service ace by Pavan briefly kept Bentley's first-set hopes alive, but Point Loma nabbed the following point.

Bentley's victorious second set started in a 5-1 deficit, but two kills by Pavan helped to quickly turn the table as the Falcons claimed a 7-5 lead.  

Later in the set, Poehlein tied the score at 20-20 with a kill. She accounted for the very next point to give the Falcons a 21-20 lead. An ace from Vitko, followed by a kill for Rutledge, made it a 23-20 advantage. A kill by Poehlein, followed by a Point Loma error, gave Bentley the second-set victory, 25-21.