WALTHAM, Mass. – Sophia Poehlein put away 20 kills, and
Tory Vitko totaled 39 assists to lead the No. 22 Bentley volleyball team to a thrilling 3-2 (13-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-19, 15-12) win over Central Missouri in the second day of the
Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament Friday. It was the Falcons' first win of 2026.
The Jennies (1-1) entered Friday's contest coming off a big upset win over No. 6 Barry Thursday. The Falcons (1-1), on the other hand, were looking to bounce back after getting swept by Grand Valley State Thursday.
Bentley got out of the gates slowly against Central Missouri and dropped the opening set, 25-13. The second set, however, was tightly contested. Neither team led by more than two points until the Falcons broke a 15-15 tie by going on a 3-0 run.
Julia Kleinle's kill gave Bentley a 16-15 lead, and the Jennies followed with an error. A kill by
Lulu Pavan cushioned the Falcons' lead to 18-15.
Later in the second set, the Jennies were within a point, 20-19, but Bentley pieced together another three-point stretch to ultimately win the second set. After Central Missouri won the third set, the Falcons knew they had their work cut out for them.
Similarly to the second set, the teams kept within two points of each other for an extended duration in the fourth set. The Jennies pulled to within 14-13, but a kill by Poehlein bumped Bentley's lead to 15-13. An error by Central Missouri, followed by a kill from
Katelyn Rutledge, increased the advantage to four points, 17-13. The Falcons held the lead for the rest of the fourth, forcing a decisive fifth set.
Bentley fell behind early, 4-1, in the final set. Poehlein sparked Bentley's comeback with a kill. Vitko followed with an ace, and another kill by Rutledge tied the set, 4-4.
The Jennies pulled ahead, 8-5, but a kill by freshman
Yasmin Tonon shifted momentum into Bentley's favor.
Elliet Manning served Bentley to four consecutive points, including an ace, to give the Falcons a 10-8 lead.
The score was tied, 12-12, when a miscue by the Jennies gave Bentley a one-point lead. Poehlein's 20
th kill of the match made it a 14-12 Falcon advantage, and Tonon ended the match by serving up an ace.
The Falcons totaled 12 aces in the contest, including three each by Poehlein, Tonon, and Manning.
In addition to Tonon's clutch play in the fifth set, a couple more Bentley freshmen made an impact in the first win of the season.
Makayla Kuykendall finished with a team-high 18 digs, and
Aaliyah Price Gooden tied for the team high in blocks (3).
Bentley closes out the
Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament Saturday against two nationally ranked teams: No. 6 Barry (9 a.m.) and No. 18 Lynn (2 p.m.).
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