Northeast 10 Conference Championship Quarterfinals
No. 5 Southern Connecticut State University Owls (23-9, 9-4 NE10)
at No. 4 Bentley Falcons (14-11, 9-4 NE10)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021
Time: 7 PM
Location: Dana Center (Waltham, Mass.)
Live Video | Live Stats

The Southern Connecticut volleyball team will face Bentley University on Tuesday, Nov. 16 in Waltham, Mass. In a narrow race for seeding, the Owls earned the fifth seed in the Northeast 10 Conference Tournament after posting a 9-4 conference record, while the Falcons earned the fourth seed in the tournament after posting a 9-4 record as well. Southern, Bentley and Saint Anselm all ended with the same conference record, but within the mini conference, Bentley was 2-0, Southern Connecticut was 1-1, and Saint Anselm was 0-2. Bentley earns the #4 seed, Southern Connecticut is the #5 seed, and Saint Anselm is the #6 seed. Bentley held the head to heads with SCSU and Saint Anselm, while the Owls defeated Saint Anselm earlier this season.

Spectator Policy
Bentley University Athletics has announced their spectator policy for all Fall and Winter 2021-22 sports to allow spectators at competitions. When attending an indoor competition, all spectators must wear a mask at all times while inside the building, regardless of vaccination status.  More information on the spectator policies for each NE10 institution can be found here.

All-Time Series Against Bentley: 5-27
Last Meeting: October 15, 2021: L, 3-1 (W25-18, L25-17, L25-22, L25-20). Junior Gabriela Gaibur was the offensive leader for Southern Connecticut. Gaibur had a team-high 18 kills and 10 digs. Sophomore Taylor Jones recorded 39 assists and eight digs, and libero Krishnalei So'oto chipped in 32 digs. Senior Erika Benson chipped in 10 kills, five digs, and two blocks, while graduate student Gabriela Vazquez (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico) had nine kills and five digs. 

Matchup Preview

• With the exception of the canceled 2020 season due to the pandemic, this will be the second-straight year the Owls and Falcons square off in the opening round of the postseason tournament. Then-No. 1 seeded Bentley defeated then-No. 8 seeded Southern in the NE10 Quarterfinals in 2019, 3-1.
• Southern Connecticut features two of the top hitters in the NE10 in kills and hitting percentage. Gabriela Gaibur is first in the conference in kills with 364 on the season, while Abigail Epstein is second in hitting percentage with .341 for the season. Bentley's squad features Ellie Wheeler, who is sixth in kills with 334, and Ingrid Murphy, who is 13th with 249.
• The matchup also features two of the top setters in the conference in the Owls' sophomore Taylor Jones, who averages 9.94 assists per set and has amassed 954 total assists and the Falcons' Amanda Parker, who averages 10.13 assists per set and has 861 total assists this season.
• SCSU's go-to Libero Krishnalei So'oto sits second in the conference in total digs with 495, while Bentley's defensive leader Jazzy Burke is eighth with 409. On the flip side of those numbers, Burke, who has played 22 fewer sets than So'oto, is sixth in the conference in digs per set with 4.70, while So'oto is eighth with 4.54.

Team Statistical Leaders

Southern Connecticut
Kills: Gabriela Gaibur (364), Abigail Epstein (310), Gabriela Vazquez (258)
Digs: Krishnalei So'oto (495), Gabriela Gaibur (416), Gabriela Vazquez (230)
Assists: Taylor Jones (954), Heliceliz Rivera (164)
Blocks: Abigail Epstein (89), Erika Benson (73) Gabriela Vazquez (40) 
Service Aces: Abigail Epstein (46), Krishnalei So'oto (42), Gabriela Gaibur (32), Taylor Jones (30)
 
Bentley
Kills: Ellie Wheeler (334), Ingrid Murphy (249), Shannon Ngo (166)
Digs: Jazzy Burke (409), Ingrid Murphy (344), Amanda Parker (264)
Assists: Amanda Parker (861), Jazzy Burke (66)
Blocks: Shannon Ngo (48), Amanda Parker (35)
Service Aces: Amanda Parker (37), Ingrid Murphy (33)

All-Time in the NE10 Tournament

• The Owls are 7-5 all-time in NE10 Tournament.
• All-Time NE10 Quarterfinals Record: 4-2
• All-Time NE10 Semifinals Record: 2-2
• All-Time NE10 Finals Record: 1-1

All-Time Results

2019	L, 3-1 vs. Bentley (Quarters)
2018	W, 3-0 vs. So. New Hampshire (Quarters) W, 3-1 vs. Saint Anselm (Semis) W, 3-0 vs. American Int'l (Finals)
2017	W, 3-1 vs. American Int'l (Quarters) W, 3-2 vs. Saint Anselm (Semis) L, 2-3 vs. New Haven (Finals)
2012	W, 3-0 vs. Saint Rose (Quarters) L, 1-3 vs. New Haven (Semis)
2011	L, 1-3 vs. Stonehill (Quarters)
2009	W, 3-2 vs. New Haven (Quarters) L, 1-3 vs. UMass Lowell (Semis)

2021 NE10 Volleyball Championship

Tuesday, November 16th
Quarterfinals ­at Higher Seeds
Match 1: #8 Assumption at #1 American International (7:00 pm)
Match 2: #7 Southern New Hampshire at #2 New Haven (7:00 pm)
Match 3: #6 Saint Anselm at #3 Stonehill (7:00 pm)
Match 4: #5 Southern Connecticut at #4 Bentley (7:00 PM)
 
Friday, November 19th
Semifinals - at highest remaining seed following the quarterfinal matches.
(Preferred times are 5:00 pm & 7:30 pm, but semifinal match times will be confirmed after Tuesday's quarterfinals.)
Match 5: Match 1 winner vs. Match 4 winner  
Match 6: Match 2 winner vs. Match 3 winner
 
Saturday, November 20th
Championship
(Preferred start time is 5:00 pm – time will be confirmed following the quarterfinals.)­
Match 7: Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner