Bees Reach Third Straight National Championship Match

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Dallas College Eastfield's volleyball team is headed back to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Championship match for a third straight year.

The No. 1 Harvester Bees beat Rochester Community & Technical College 25-17, 25-13, 23-25, 25-19 in Friday night's semifinals at Alliant Energy PowerHouse. Eastfield (30-1) advanced to Saturday's 6:30 p.m. championship against Dallas College Brookhaven (18-12). It will be Eastfield's fifth appearance in the national championship.

Eastfield hit .286, and had at least 16 kills in each of the four sets. Rochester (24-9) had a .132 attack rate.

Mia Santos had a career-high 24 kills, 14 digs and three blocks, while hitting .270 for the Bees. Myah Griggs banged down a season-high 20 kills, hit .459 and had three blocks. Madison Mosley had 13 kills and nine digs.

After Eastfield got out to a 2-0 lead in the match, Rochester built a five-point lead in the third set on a kill by Natalie LaBonte. The Harvesters cut it to two on a kill by Mosley, but Rochester stretched its lead out to 18-13 on Lily Holtan's kill. Santos pounded a kill to pull Eastfield within 20-17. Santos' ace cut it to 21-20, and the Bees eventually tied it at 23-23 on a kill by Mosley. But Abby Evans had a kill, and Holtan and LaBonte added a block to pull Rochester within 2-1 in the match.

Rochester had 16 kills in the third set, while Eastfield had 17. It was the first set the Harvesters dropped in the last nine matches. 

Griggs gave Eastfield a 16-12 lead in the fourth set with a putaway. Carmen Nerison and LaBonte had a block to pull Rochester within 17-16 after a 4-1 run. Rochester tied it at 19-19 after winning three straight serves. But the Harvester Bees responded out of a timeout, winning the last six points to put it away.

Patience Gibson had 32 digs and 12 assists for the Bees. Mylah Arzaga had 35 assists and 13 digs. Caitlyn Coleman had six blocks. LaBonte had 16 kills and four blocks, and Holtan nine kills, 13 digs and two blocks for Rochester.

Eastfield has won the last two national championships and three overall.