Two Harvester Bees Move on to 4-Year Schools

MESQUITE, Texas -- Two Dallas College Eastfield volleyball players are starting the next chapter of their academic and athletic careers this spring after helping the Harvester Bees win the national championship last fall.

Sophomore Amber Smart is heading across town to Texas Wesleyan University to play on their inagural beach volleyball team. Smart, an outside hitter from Calallen High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, finished her career at Eastfield with 292 kills and 376 digs. After starting as an outside hitter in most matches as a freshman, she was a key sub on the left, the right and the back row this past season for the national champs.  

"Beach volleyball is different than indoor, but Amber's skill set seems perfect for the sand. She is such a good ballhandler, and her hitting improved tremendously this year," Harvester Bees head coach Phil Nickel said. "We expect her to be successful for TWU, and look forward to watching her continue her playing career across town."

Sophomore Aleyna Gerlach is moving to East Texas Baptist University this spring. The opposite hitter from Devine, Texas, was a captain for the Harvester Bees in 2023, and finished her career with 332 kills and 46 total blocks. Gerlach, a lefty, played on the right side in Eastfield's 6-2 offense, putting together some big matches, including a nine-kill performance with a .750 hitting percentage against the defending national champions, College of DuPage.

"Aleyna improved so much from last year to this year, but her most important contribution may have been her leadership. She did such an incredible job of being a leader for us all year. We wouldn't have had the success we did without her," Nickel said. "Hopefully she can take that leadership to her new team at ETBU."