Senior Andrea Bentley stands out on the court.
The volleyball team’s most experienced libero sports a different color uniform, wears the number one and brings a certain quality to the floor that senior Kasey Rhyne said should be easy to see — energy.
“It’s obvious from the whole team’s point of view,” Rhyne said. “She is very energetic. She brings a lot of life to our team. She’s pretty known for that.”
Junior Aiwane Iboaya said Bentley’s energy is a big boost for N.C. State in tough situations.
“She likes to come in and bring energy,” Iboaya said. “I would say that she is the heart of the team. If we’re down, she’s usually the one talking. If someone is having a bad game, she is the one that is going to talk to them and bring them up.”
Bentley, in her fourth year of Wolfpack volleyball, is beginning to see the end. Senior Night has already come and gone, and there are only four more away matches before the 2007 volleyball season officially comes to a close.
The libero position designates one player to play exclusively on the back row, and it is usually reserved for the team’s defensive and ball-control specialists. In four years, Bentley has produced statistics that make her one of the best State has ever had in the position.
As a freshman in 2004, Bentley led the team with 334 digs and 3.09 digs per game. 786 digs later, she now ranks ninth on State’s all-time digs list. Bentley said it is going to be hard to finally say goodbye to the program.
“It’s definitely pretty emotional,” Bentley said. “Volleyball has been my life for four years. It’s going to be hard when it ends. It’s going to be different. I’ll start the new chapter of my volleyball career.”
A biological sciences major, Bentley would like to enter the pharmaceutical sales industry, yet she also plans to continue to pursue volleyball after State. She is planning to coach a youth team in the spring, and she said she would like to compete in some beach and grass volleyball tournaments during the summer.
Bentley knows exactly what she wants out of her last four matches — a win. In her four years at State, the Pack has won only one ACC volleyball match. She said she hopes to alter that statistic before she is done.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” Bentley said. “I came from a high school where we won four state championships in a row. Just because we’re not winning doesn’t mean we’re not doing everything possible to try to win. We have to get a win in the next four games. We have to, and it’s going to happen.”
Bentley knows, however, that she cannot judge her experience solely based on the win-loss column.
“The fact that we haven’t won is not the only thing I can base my success with N.C. State volleyball on,” Bentley said. “I’ve made a family. I’ve made best friends that I’ll never forget. We’ve had times that will never be forgotten and just experiences and memories that will be with me forever. I am really grateful for that, and I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had.”
