Bears Nearing .500 Mark in Final Non-Conference Week
Dallas College Brookhaven's volleyball team enters the final week of non-conference play with five matches away from the Farmers Branch, Texas-based campus.
The Bears (7-8) will play at Rose State College 6 p.m. Tuesday before venturing off for four matches at the Blinn Volleyball Invitational Friday and Saturday.
Brookhaven won three in a row to open September, including a sweep at Southwestern Christian College. Ariel Austin pounded 20 kills, and hit .515, while scooping up 15 digs. Asia Salter had 10 kills, hit .368, and Jadyn Ketner had 19 of the Bears' 69 digs. In a 3-1 win over Seminole State College at the North Central Texas College Tri-Match, Mya Williams, Karrigan Powell and Paige Bly each had 11 of the Bears 43 kills for the Bears. Brooke Schmitz and Kamryn Lydens had 15 assists apiece. Alex Harper had 21 digs, and Carter Bohuslavick 20. Brookhaven dropped the final match of the NCTC Tri-Match to the host Lions, 3-1.
Brookhaven's first win during that stretch came in a five-set tussle at North Central Texas College. Salter had 16 kills, and Austin 15 kills, four aces and 13 digs. Kelsey Trevino had nine kills and 12 digs. Ketner finished with 27 digs. After dropping the first set, 25-21, the Bears evened the match when they won the second set, 25-20. Brookhaven took a 2-1 lead in the match when it won the third set, 25-19, but NCTC bounced back to force a decisive fifth set with a 25-21 win in the fourth. The Bears closed it out in the fifth, winning 15-8. The Bears hit .424 in the first set. Aliyah Levert had 12 kills, and Brooke Hutchings 10 for NCTC.
Following a 3-1 win over Seminole State to open the Brookhaven Tri-Match Friday, the Bears lost their next three to Vernon College, Temple College and Lee College.
The Bears, who are receiving votes in this week's National Junior College Athletic Association Division III poll, will see the likes of Blinn, College of DuPage, Victoria College and Coastal Bend College at this weekend's Blinn Volleyball Invitational. Brookhaven returns home Sept. 22 to complete the first week of Dallas Athletic Conference play.