Pella moved a step close to their fifth straight State Volleyball Tournament appearance with a quick 3-0 sweep of Carlisle to open the Class 3A Regional Tournament last night.

The 5th ranked Lady Dutch were pushed in game one but emerged victorious 25-18 then completely dominated games two and three winning 25-7 and 25-9. Once again Pella’s all around strength and depth was the difference as they excelled in every aspect of the game and several girls contributed to the success. Head coach Bob Fessler said after a close game one, he saw a couple clear things that allowed them to get back on track in the final two games. He says they were able to relax more in the final two games and establish the rhythm and flow of the match and he says their senior leadership took over and set the tone.

One of those senior leaders, Hali Steenhoek talked afterwards about the depth they have offensively and the belief they have in each other. She said she feels so blessed to be on such a talented team and noted how fun it is for her to sit and watch other girls pound the ball and have success and added it’s that talent and depth that makes them so tough to beat.

Lindsay Bentzinger and Kelsi Rempe each tallied seven kills, Kelsey Fynaardt added six, while another senior Hope Wadle came off the bench and added four kills. Steenhoek led the team with three blocks, Brooke Fessler dished out 25 assists and Mackenzie VanderMolen was the leader in digs with 10 while Fessler added seven and Steenhoek and Karissa Rempe each added six digs a piece. Pella was also very aggressive serving with nine aces.

Pella improved to 36-5 overall on the season and will next host Norwalk, the only team to beat them in a conference set just last week, in a Class 3A Regional Semifinal Thursday night at 7pm. You can hear the match live on 92.1 FM KRLS and kniakrls.com