Pella Christian head volleyball coach Cindy Nikkel says she’s still appreciating the journey that the 2011 Lady Eagles took her on in her first year as head coach, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t given some thought to what the future holds for Pella Christian in 2012. Nikkel says while this year’s squad – particularly the seniors – seemed to be stronger on offense, she thinks next year’s team will rely on defense to win games.

Nikkel says work put in this year in serve receive, coupled with the return of some young players who excelled on defense, has the potential to make the next year’s Lady Eagles’ team very similar to the strong defensive unit from Council Bluffs, St. Albert that edged her team out of the Regional Tournament. That squad next year will look much different, though, as the team will lose seven very important seniors to graduation.