Bears Ascend to No. 8 in National Poll as Conference Play Begins
Following a superlative weekend at the Blinn Volleyball Invitational, Dallas College Brookhaven rose to No. 8 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III poll.
The Bears (12-9, 1-0 Dallas Athletic Conference) went 3-1 in Brenham, Texas, beating then-No. 1 College of DuPage in four sets. That win was sandwiched around victories over NJCAA Division I Coastal Bend College in five sets and Victoria College in a sweep. Brookhaven swept Dallas College North Lake Monday in the Dallas Athletic Conference opener in Irving, Texas, to record its fourth straight win and fifth sweep of the season.
Brookhaven's lone loss of the weekend came to the host Buccaneers, who swept the Bears to open the Blinn Volleyball Invitational.
Against DuPage, Kelsey Trevino (17 kills and 13 digs) and Ariel Austin (17 kills and 15 digs) each recorded double-doubles. Both also had three block assists. Natalie Hawkins had 11 kills and three of the Bears' 21 block assists. Madison Beasley and Cearria Traylor had seven kills apiece, and combined for 13 blocks. Camryn Dawley had 19 assists, 12 digs and three aces. Bruscato had 17 assists and four aces.
In the sweep of Victoria, Austin had 16 kills and 13 digs. Hawkins finished with 10 kills and three blocks. Beasley and Traylor each had eight kills, while combining for nine blocks, including four solos by Traylor. Dawley had 22 assists, 13 digs and four aces. Bruscato had 17 assists, 10 digs and three aces.
Austin blasted 23 kills, and had 12 digs and three block assists in the win over Coastal Bend. Traylor finished with 11 kills, a .353 hitting percentage and eight blocks. Trevino had nine kills, 18 digs and two blocks. Hawkins had eight kills and four blocks. Dawley had 23 assists and 15 digs, and Bruscato added 21 assists.
The Bears will host Dallas College Eastfield 6 p.m. Thursday.