WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University volleyball players Sydney Bent of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Lara Verstovsek of Houston, Texas, have earned All-New England honors from the New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Bent earned All-New England second-team recognition from NEWVA, while Verstovsek was a third-team NEWVA. Both were All-New England selections from Region 2 of the AVCA and will be eligible for AVCA All-America honors.
Bent, a graduate student transfer from Notre Dame, was honored as a right-side. She was second on the team in kills per set (2.84 kps) and led the squad in digs (4.01 dps), earning a reputation as one of the region's top all-around players. She also topped the team with 0.57 service aces per set, best in the University Athletic Association through the end of the regular season. Bent's digs average ranked eighth in the league, while her 3.7 points per set ranked fifth in the UAA. Bent was also third on the team with 45 blocks (0.45 blocks per set).
Overall this season, Bent had 14 matches with 10 or more kills and 19 with double-digit digs, making for a total of 11 double-doubles. Her season-highs were 17 kills in a 3-2 win over Rochester in the UAA tournament seventh-place match, and 28 digs in a 3-1 loss to 23rd-ranked Tufts. It was one of five 20-dig performances for Bent on the season.
Verstovsek, a second-team All-UAA selection at outside hitter last season, led the team and finished third in the UAA by averaging 3.40 kills per set. It was the 10th-best single-season average in Brandeis program history. She also finished third on the squad with 27 service aces (0.33 aps) and fourth in blocks with 37 (0.46 bps). Verstovsek led the team in points, averaging 4.01 points per set, third in the UAA and 89th in the NCAA this season and just the seventh season better than four points per set in program history.
Verstovsek had 13 matches with double-digit kills and eight with 10 or more digs, giving her six double-doubles on the campaign. Verstovsek posted 20 or more kills three times, including a career-high 24 in a 3-1 loss at Endicott College. Her career-best 25 digs came in a 3-1 over Maine Maritime.
The Brandeis volleyball finished the season with a 13-15 record, tied for their second-most wins under head coach Alesia Bennett. They finished seventh in the UAA thanks to a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Rochester over the final weekend of the season. Thirteen of the Judges' 28 matches came against teams that reached the NCAA tournament, including wins over Johnson and Wales, Maine Maritime and Williams.
Bent is a 2018 graduate of Ransom Everglades High School in Florida.
Verstovsek is a 2021 graduate of Episcopal High School.
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