Eastfield Meets Harrisburg Area CC to Open National Tournament Nov. 14
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dallas College Eastfield's volleyball team is the No. 1 seed in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Tournament next week in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The No. 1-ranked Harvester Bees (30-1) will meet Harrisburg Area Community College (18-10) in the opening round of the national tournament 1 p.m. CT next Thursday at Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena. The tournament will be streamed on the NJCAA Network. Live stats are also available.
Eastfield won last year's national championship – the program's second in school history. Under third-year head coach Phil Nickel, the Harvester Bees are coming off their second straight South District title after sweeping 15th-ranked Dallas College North Lake Saturday. North Lake (19-17) received an at-large bid to the NJCAA Division III Tournament, and will play Fulton-Montgomery Community College (21-1) in the opening round. The quarterfinals will also be played Thursday, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Last year, the Bees went 35-0, dropping just six sets all season, en route to the national championship. This year, Eastfield's lone loss came at NJCAA Division II No. 1 Cowley County Community College. The Harvesters have dropped just 10 sets this season, with only one in Dallas Athletic Conference play, where they went 10-0 for a second straight year.
Eastfield sophomore setter Taryn Doiron leads the country in assists (1068), and is second in assists per set (11.24) entering the 16-team national tournament. The Harvester Bees lead the nation in kills per set (1.396). Among hitters with over 350 total attacks, Bees sophomore middle blocker McKenzie Anderson ranks sixth in hitting percentage (.371).
Harrisburg Area Community College swept top seed Bergen Community College in the East District A championship. The Hawks enter the national tournament having won eight of their last nine. Peyton Maass leads Harrisburg Area in kills (264) and digs (383), and tied for second in aces (49). Zoe Velez is second on the team in kills (230), tied for second in aces (49) and third in digs (204). Kelly Bastian is first in aces (94), second in digs (293) and third in kills (203). Lezlie Nguyen leads the Hawks with 42 blocks, while Amber Sprout has 34.
The Harvesters enter the national tournament on a 10-match winning streak. The Bees dropped just one set in last year's national tournament, sweeping Century College to capture the title. Eastfield also won the 2017 national championship.