The Setters could not escape the talons of Bentley’s birds of prey.
Pace fell to the Falcons of Bentley 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 23-25, 20-25) at home.
The Setters got off to a slow start against the opposing birds of prey. The Falcons soared in with big time hits and started off the match with a three point lead. Yet the chemistry between senior marketing major Susana Verdugo-Del Real and senior international business major Sara Atai helped the Setters maintain their first set lead. However, a bad set gave Bentley a 15-14 lead, and the Falcons flew to a first set win.
The Setters commenced the second set with an ongoing rally to take an early 9-2 lead. Senior education major Nora Rugova delivered key hits from the outside during the second set where she picked up most of her 13 kills.
As the tightly contested match moved to the third set, the Falcons seized an early 2-1 lead after a forceful block by Kelsey Buckner. Once the Falcons seized the early lead, they held onto it like a small rodent in their talons. The closest the Setters came to seizing the lead back from Bentley was when Buckner made an attacking error that tied the score at eight.
However, the tie was undone by a Buckner kill to put Bentley up by one point. From there, the Falcons never let the lead slip away and won the third set by a score of 25-23.
The fourth set started out well for the Setters. Pace took their first lead since the dawn of the third set after a Rugova kill. The Setters kept up the early pressure by taking a four point lead. However, Bentley recovered to tie the score at 13 apiece.
The Setters and Falcons traded spikes, kills, and errors like Pokemon cards throughout the waning moments of the set. However, it was Bentley who seized a 19-18 lead after an attacking error by the Setters. From there, the Falcons pecked and scratched their way to a 25-20 win to claim the match.
With the loss, the Setters fall to 6-12 overall with a 0-1 record in NE-10 play. In contrast, the Falcons of Bentley improved to 5-9 overall with a 1-2 record in NE-10 play.
The Setters will look to get back in stride against the Adelphi Panthers on Oct. 5.