Harvester Bees Coast into District Championship

MESQUITE, Texas – Dallas College Eastfield rolled to a sweep over Dallas College North Lake in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South District semifinals Friday. The Harvester Bees won 25-10, 25-14, 25-19.

Eastfield (26-1) advances to Saturday's 12 p.m. championship against Dallas College Brookhaven (15-11) on the DAC Sports Network. 

The Harvester Bees ran out to a double-digit lead off the serve of Kaylee Rodarte in the first set. They held the Blazers (12-16) to a -.139 hitting percentage in Set 1. Kira Smith's off-balance tap ended the first set. Eastfield hit .156.

Kennedy Kovar served North Lake (12-16) to a two-point lead in Set 2. But Eastfield climbed back ahead, and took a 15-11 lead on Caitlyn Coleman's kill off the slide. Mia Santos put away a ball to extend it to 20-11 before the Harvester Bees took a 2-0 lead in the match eight serves later. The Bees hit .179 in the middle set, and the Blazers had a -.158 attack percentage.

North Lake raced out to a 7-2 lead in the third set on an ace by Ava Mendez, who finished with 26 digs and two aces. Hailey Pennison sent a ball of the Bees' block for a 10-6 North Lake lead. Eastfield went on an 8-2 run to take a 14-12 lead on a Madison Mosley kill.

Cameron Brouhard served the Blazers to a 16-16 tie before Santos' kill pushed the Harvester Bees back up by two. Mosley's ace and Smith's kill extended it to a four-point Eastfield advantage. Santos had a kill to make it 23-18. Pennison kept North Lake alive with a kill off the Eastfield block, but Santos ended a long rally with a kill to wrap it up.

The Harvester Bees put down 16 kills in the third set, nearly doubling their total from the first two sets, and hit .244 to close it out.

Santos finished with 15 kills and two aces. Mosley had six kills, 18 digs and two aces. Bailey Brooks had five kills. Smith had nine blocks and Coleman four. Patience Gibson had 13 digs, and Mylah Arzaga 29 assists.

Pennison and Kynlee Rion had five kills for the Blazers. Pennison added 10 digs. Katie Lloyd had 13 digs and 12 assists. Kovar had four kills and 11 digs.

Eastfield will play for its third straight district title, having won the last two.