Fun is her game

Andrea Bentley knew she was getting into a tough situation.

When Bentley, a junior libero better known by teammates and coaches as “Andi,” came to N.C. State, the volleyball program had only won one ACC match in the previous three seasons.

She knew the history, but she also knew she wanted to write a new chapter in that history.

“I knew where the program was, and I was hoping to come in here and change the program and show people what volleyball’s supposed to be,” Bentley said. “It’s supposed to be fun.”

And fun it had been for Bentley in high school, when she was part of a Cardinal Gibbons High School program in Raleigh that won six consecutive state championships.

But things didn’t go quite the way Bentley had hoped in her first two collegiate seasons. She and the team endured a winless conference slate her freshman year. By the time her sophomore campaign rolled around, she said the team’s outlook was all wrong.

“Everybody had the mindset like, ‘Oh, we’re going to lose,'” Bentley said. “No one had it right, so it was just hard.”

When coach Mary Byrne’s contract was not renewed after last season, Bentley said she had mixed feelings about a coach who she said had “contributed to the mindset of losing.”

“It’s sad to see her go because that’s her job,” Bentley said. “But I was really excited to have somebody in here who was going to change the program.”

Bentley actually knew first-year coach Charita Stubbs before she was hired. Stubbs had gone to see some of Bentley’s club teammates play when she was an assistant coach at Arizona.

While Bentley said some of her Wolfpack teammates wanted a male coach, Bentley said the team got the right coach with the right attitude.

“I thought she had a great personality,” Bentley said. “I want somebody who’s strong like that. I want somebody who’s overpowering.”

Some teammates say Bentley’s pretty strong herself. Sophomore outside hitter Aiwane Iboaya said Bentley brings consistent passing to the team.

“When Andi’s going to pass the ball, you expect the best from her,” Iboaya said. “Even if it’s not a perfect pass, it will be enough that the setter will be able to do something with it.”

Iboaya added that Bentley is good at taking charge on the court.

“She’s loud, so when the ball’s coming towards her and she’s calling it, move out of the way,” Iboaya said. “She’s going to get it.”

Sophomore Kelley Blakewood also played libero last season, and for parts of the season the two competed for the position. Blakewood said their competitiveness in trying to earn playing time was good for everyone involved.

“Absolutely, we push each other every day. We pushed each other last year. We [have] pushed each other this year,” Blakewood said. “And we just try and make each other get better every day.”

However, Blakewood said she and Bentley limit their competitive relationship to the court.

“Andi and I are really good friends, so we try and be competitive on the court,” Blakewood said. “And when we walk off the court, we leave everything that happened in the gym there.”

Meanwhile, Stubbs said she likes what she sees while watching Bentley play. Yet, she noted that recently she had a conversation with Bentley about becoming more mentally tough on the court.

“Since our conversation, she has stepped up to the challenge, which I’ve been very pleased with seeing,” Stubbs said.

And now that she’s halfway through her career, there’s the chance things could indeed turn out how Bentley wanted in the first place. With two seasons of losing behind her, she said she has her mind set on making her final two years different.

“I hope so. I’m coming into this season with a lot of expectations. I want people to want to come watch us play,” Bentley said. “I want people to be impressed with us, and I want them to respect our team and respect our coaches.”

After her time on the court is done, she’s not yet sure where she wants to go next. She has considered using her biology degree to pursue areas of medical research and has also expressed a desire to play volleyball professionally, but her time playing has also made her think of another possible option — coaching.

“Rita says that I should go into coaching, but I don’t know,” Bentley said. “If I can do anything and pass on my skills and my passion for the game to other people, it’s what I would love to do.”

For now, she’ll settle for bringing back the fun to State volleyball.