After nine long days of preparation and anticipation, the Pella Christian volleyball team will get its chance to shine on the big stage tonight, as they take to the floor for the opening night of the Class 2-A State Volleyball Tournament. The Lady Eagles enter the tournament as the sixth seed, and will face third-seeded Lake Mills. The Bulldogs are an impressive 43-1 on the season, while Pella Christian enters the match with an overall mark of 26-11.

Lady Eagles’ Head Coach John Evenhouse says they have been preparing for the hard serving style that Lake Mills employs, and says his squad has also been focusing on where the Bulldogs’ attacks will come from.

“They’re going to hit more from the right side. The right side is a really good place to hit from because most teams don’t defend the right side quite as well as they do the left side, and this team is going to hit the ball from there,” says Evenhouse.

“They’ve got a lefty who can hit from the right side, and they run some nice slide-step [hits], so it’s going to present a real challenge. They’re a very nice ball club. We’re trying to figure out exactly where we have to go to score some points against them, and it’s not going to be easy. It’s just going to be a nice, tough match for us.”

You can listen to tonight’s Class 2-A State Tournament match live on 92.1 fm KRLS, however, due to state regulations, KNIA/KRLS is unable to stream the broadcast on our website. Coverage from the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids will begin at 7:15 p.m. tonight with Eric Gotschall and Wynne Veenstra providing the call. The opening serve between Pella Christian and Lake Mills is set for 7:30 p.m. The winner of tonight’s match plays either Clarinda or Mediapolis at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow night.