No. 1 Harvesters Repeat as South District Champs

CHAMPIONSHIP POINT | McKENZIE ANDERSON INTERVIEW | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

MESQUITE, Texas – The Bees are becoming well-versed in dressing for Iowa temperatures at this time of the year.

"Yeah, it's pretty cold up there," sophomore middle blocker McKenzie Anderson said.

Well, these Bees are the hottest National Junior College Athletic Association Division III volleyball team in the country the past two years, and they were sizzling again Saturday.

Dallas College Eastfield swept Dallas College North Lake, 25-16, 25-12, 25-19, in the NJCAA Division III South District championship at the Hive. It is the second straight year the Harvester Bees beat the Blazers in the district title match. The win sends the No. 1 nationally-ranked Harvesters (30-1) back to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a second straight season to compete in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament Nov. 14-16 at Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena.

The Bees recorded their second sweep in as many days in the postseason tournament and their 25^th this season, following a match in which they hit .327. It was the 12^th time they hit over .300 this season.

"We were really efficient because, for one, we served really well," said Anderson, who finished with 12 kills, no errors, two blocks and a .480 hitting percentage. "We kept North Lake out of system. We had really good sets, really good hits, so we just stayed in system all the time. That's what led us to the win."

The Harvesters ripped off nine aces.

Azoria Davis matched her season high with 15 kills, and hit .323. She also pounded 15 kills in a sweep of North Lake Oct. 10. Setter Taryn Doiron had 39 assists, 10 digs, four kills, two blocks, and hit .667 with no errors in six attacks.

Eastfield raced out to a 9-3 lead in the opening set on a block by Doiron and Anderson. The Bees extended it to 12-3 on a kill by Davis. Fifteenth-ranked North Lake (19-17) pulled within 17-11 on a kill by Shi'Miria Phillips. But a block by Kendall Wilson and Doiron, and a set-dump kill by Doiron put Set 1 in the books.

Eastfield had a .467 attack percentage in the first set, blasting 18 kills and committing four errors.

The Bees sprinted out to another 9-3 lead in the second set on an ace by Carli Banks. The Harvesters pushed it to 14-4 on a block by Wilson and Doiron. Hailey Pennison's tap over the Bees' blockers pulled the Blazers within 19-10. Aracely Nunez served Eastfield ahead, 22-10, punctuated on Davis' cross-court kill before North Lake's Natalia Gonzalez and Phillips combined on a block. Anderson's slam down the middle moved the Harvesters within a set of the title.

Anderson hit over .400 for the 16^th time this year.

Banks, who finished with eight kills, four aces, two blocks and 10 digs, banged a ball down for a 9-1 lead in the final set. North Lake won the next three points with Pennison serving before Davis blasted a torpedo off the Blazers. Davis pounded another ball down the line to make it 12-4. North Lake cut it to 13-7 on a kill by Riley Weiher, but Doiron tapped down the next ball to stop the Blazers' momentum. Kinleigh Hall's kill down the middle made it 15-8, but a block by Brooklyne Dewberry and Phillips helped North Lake trim the deficit to four. Ava Cole's ace pushed the lead back to six. The Blazers drew within 19-15, but with Ally Rogers serving, Eastfield ran off the next three points. Hadley Klock and Gonzalez's block cut it to 22-17. Anderson banged a ball off the Blazers' block, and Mia Santos crushed a cross-court winner down for the championship.

Weiher had six kills and seven digs for the Blazers. Pennison had five kills, eight digs and a block, while hitting .333. Klock had 15 assists, eight digs and a block. Katie Lloyd had 12 digs. Alex Knowles served North Lake's lone ace. 

Eastfield won the program's second national championship last year in the same venue the Bees will venture back to in 10 days.

"We're definitely excited to go back," Anderson said. "That atmosphere at nationals is like no other. Just the responsibility and chance to even go is awesome. I'm really proud of us, and I can't wait for nationals."