WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley volleyball juniors Sophia Poehlein and Tory Vitko, along with head coach Joey Pacis, highlight All-Northeast 10 honors announced by the conference Wednesday.

Poehlein is Bentley's first NE10 Player of the Year since 2007 (Christina Sadowski), Vitko is the NE10 Setter of the Year for the second consecutive season, and Pacis is the NE10 Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his Bentley tenure (seventh overall). Poehlein and Vitko are both All-NE10 First Team honorees for the second consecutive year. 

Lulu Pavan joins Poehlein and Vitko on the All-NE10 First Team, while Yasmin Tonon and Aaliyah Price Gooden were both placed on the NE10 All-Rookie Team. Tonon also earned All-NE10 Third Team.

Poehlein finished the 2026 regular season ranked third in the NE10 for kills per set with 3.37, but she elevated her game in NE10 matches to the tune of 4.30 kills per set. Poehlein had four double-doubles during the regular season, and she posted 20+ kills in four contests. She tied her career high in kills with 23 during a five-set win over D'Youville (Sept. 12).

Poehlein hit over .500 with double-digit kills in two matches during the regular season. She finished with 14 kills (.542) in a sweep over Saint Michael's (Oct. 31), and she had 16 kills (.577) in a sweep over Southern New Hampshire (Nov. 7).

Vitko finished the regular season with 9.27 assists per set, good for third in the NE10. Similarly to Poehlein, Vitko was all the more impressive in conference action. She averaged 9.38 assists per set against NE10 teams, and four of her six double-doubles on the season thus far have been against conference opponents.

Vitko had a career-high 57 assists during a five-set match against Palm Beach Atlantic in the Colorado Premier Challenge (Sept. 5). She reached 50 assists again – on the nose – in a five-set win over D'Youville (Sept. 12).

Vitko was named the NE10 Setter of the Week four times in 2026, and Poehlein was named the NE10 Player of the Week once.

When it comes to NE10 matches, Pavan has the second-best hitting percentage in the conference with a .371 mark. The sophomore totaled double-digit kills 11 times during the regular season, including a career-high 18 kills during Bentley's five-set win over Regis in the Colorado Premier Challenge (Sept. 5). Pavan was named to the All-NE10 Second Team last year.

Overall this season, Tonon's 0.53 service aces per set ranks sixth in the NE10. She reached five aces in two different matches (vs. Mercy, Sept. 17; vs. Franklin Pierce, Oct. 27). Tonon recorded her first career double-double with a season-high 15 kills and 12 digs against Southern Connecticut (Oct. 16). She had a season-best 15 digs against Bridgeport (Sept. 11).

Price Gooden finished her first collegiate regular season as the NE10 leader for blocks per set (1.14). Her season high in total blocks is seven, which she has achieved three times (vs. Palm Beach Atlantic, Sept. 5; vs. D'Youville, Sept. 12; vs. Monroe, Sept. 25).

Tonon earned NE10 Rookie of the Week twice in 2026, and Price Gooden earned the honor once.

Pacis led the Falcons to their second consecutive Northeast 10 Regular Season Championship, matching last year's perfect 9-0 NE10 record. He was also the NE10 Coach of the Year in 2025. After starting the 2026 season with a 1-6 record, Bentley has won 20 consecutive matches, entering the postseason with a 21-6 overall record.

Bentley begins its postseason by hosting #4 seed Southern Connecticut in the NE10 Semifinals Friday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m.