As athletes return to campus for their preseason camps, Dartmouth's athletic programs will welcome two new assistant coaches Andrea Bentley and Brittany Cameron to its staff. Bentley and Cameron will coach the women's volleyball and soccer teams, respectively.
Bentley will have a wide variety of responsibilities as a new member of the coaching staff, according to Big Green volleyball head coach Erin Lindsey.
"She will be working mainly with our defensive system," Lindsey said. "She is also going to help in the staff with our recruiting correspondents and our travel administrator."
Prior to arriving at Dartmouth, Bentley served as a volunteer coach at her alma mater, North Carolina State University. There, she worked primarily with the defensive and serve receive systems, helping bring the team to a 20-win season.
During her collegiate career, Bentley became one of the best defensive players in her conference and holds the ninth all-time number of digs.
Bentley's experience playing in the libero position will help her fill a gap in the Dartmouth volleyball coaching staff, according to Lindsey.
"I think it'll be great for the team." Lindsey said. "We've been missing that in the staff, someone with playing experience in the libero position, to give those players really consistent feedback. She is also a very organized, hard-working, passionate person, which will obviously be helpful in the office this season."
Leede Arena is not the only place Big Green fans will spot new coaches this season. Out on the field, Cameron will join the coaching staff of the women's soccer team and hopefully lead Dartmouth to a victorious season.
Cameron brings three years of professional soccer experience across three different clubs Western New York Flash, FC Pride Gold and Los Angeles Sol in the Women's Professional Soccer League. Cameron also has coaching experience at the collegiate level, having served as an assistant coach at Niagara University during the 2011 season and at her alma mater, the University of San Diego, during the 2009 season.
As a star goalkeeper at San Diego, Cameron earned the recognition of West Coast Conference Defender of the Year during her senior year. She was also named first-team All-WCC and NSCAA All-West second-team during the same year.
Both the volleyball and soccer teams are excited about the new additions to their coaching staffs and are enthusiastic about what they hope will be successful seasons.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing where we are in the league," Lindsey said. "We lost four seniors who played a big role on the team this year. We are going to be very young on the floor, and I'm looking forward to what we can do, and hopefully we'll catch our opponents by surprise."
Lindsey added that, as always, the volleyball team's ultimate goal is to end the season first in the Ivy League.
"Our goal is to put ourselves in the best position possible to be competing for the Championship at the end of the season, and there's a lot that goes into that," Lindsey said. "It's really important that our team is focused on every match we play. It really is who has the best record at the end of the season, and every match counts the same."
The Big Green volleyball team will kick off its season on Aug. 31 in the University of Connecticut Toyota Classic in Storrs, Conn. The women's soccer team also starts its season on Aug. 31, in the Central Florida tournament.
Cameron declined to comment for this article.
