Knowing the road to the state tournament was going to be tough, Pella High head volleyball coach, Catie Brand, and her Lady Dutch breezed to a round one victory over Newton 3 – 1. After that win, the molehill became Mount Everest, as Solon was Pella’s next opponent, who, coming into that match, had beaten 20 of their last 21 opponents, and sported a 29 – 4 record. Pella had already accomplished all three of their preseason goals; finishing strong in their conference, having a winning record, and winning their first round regionals match. Coach Brand said that after meeting those objectives, her team just let it all lay out on the court against the Spartans. “I think we just really approached it with nothing to lose,” Brand said. “We could play our game, and if we wanted to, we were really tough to play by any team, and we didn’t focus what was on the other side of the net. We focused on what we could do.” What followed was a game one win over Solon 25 – 23, after having a 19 – 12 lead earlier in the set. Pella would drop the next three games to the Spartans, but not their heads, as they gave it all they could and have that to hang their hats on for the 2013 season.

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