Eastfield Sweeps Century in NJCAA DIII Semifinals

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Dallas College Eastfield's volleyball team will defend its title.

Eastfield swept Century College, 25-14, 25-16, 25-19, in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III semifinals Friday night at Alliant Energy PowerHouse to send the Harvester Bees to the national championship match for a second straight year.

No. 1 Eastfield (33-1) meets No. 2 Minnesota West Community & Technical College (35-4) in Saturday's 6:30 p.m. title match to be broadcast on the NJCAA Network. Live Stats are also available.

Azoria Davis finished with 11 kills, 11 digs, three aces and two blocks. Carli Banks had nine kills and two blocks. Brenly Walker had eight kills, 12 digs and two aces. Kendall Wilson and McKenzie Anderson each had seven kills. Anderson added four blocks. Taryn Doiron had 34 assists. Ava Cole had eight digs and two aces.

Doiron leads the country in assists (1170).

The Harvesters hit .257. They had 19 kills and three errors in 42 swings in the first set for a .381 attack percentage.

Eastfield used kills by Walker, Banks and Davis during a four-point run to take a 16-9 lead in Set 1. Banks and Anderson's block pushed the lead to 22-10. Banks and Anderson put away kills for two of the Bees' final three points to win the set.

Century middle hitter Alexis Helmin's kill in the second set tied it at 10. Doiron's ace gave the Bees a two-point cushion. Wilson's ace made it 16-12. Doiron and Davis had kills on back-to-back points, and Anderson's block two serves later moved the Bees ahead, 22-14. Cole served an ace around two kills by Walker to give the Harvesters a two-set lead.

Helmin and Jalyn Wolle combined on a block as the Wood Ducks (28-5) pulled even at 7-7 in the third set. Davis had two aces before Gracie Wenger's kill put the Wood Ducks up 16-15. Cole's ace moved the Bees ahead, 17-16, in a see-saw stretch. After Century regained control, Wilson banged down a set from Doiron to tie it at 18. Banks and Wilson's block, and kills by Banks and Walker during a six-point surge gave Eastfield a five-point lead. The Bees wrapped up the win on kills by Banks and Wilson.

Wenger had six kills, 10 digs and an ace. Wolle had 15 assists. Madelyn Robillard led the Wood Ducks with 11 digs.

The Harvester Bees, who've swept their last eight opponents and 28 this season, had 10 kills in the second set and 14 in the third. They outblocked the Wood Ducks, 6-2. Eastfield had 10 aces to Century's four.

Eastfield won last year's national title. The Harvesters also won it all in 2017.