The Pella volleyball team seemed to show a promising step forward Saturday in Newton, earning two wins in five matches in tournament play. The Lady Dutch advanced out of their pool after falling to Harlan 2-0 (24-22, 21-14), but coming back to defeat Knoxville 2-0 (21-14, 21-15) and Carlisle 2-0 (24-22, 21-18).

Those wins put Pella into the Championship Pool as the No. 2 seed out of their opening pool. In a gritty match with host Newton, the Lady Dutch fell 2-1 (25-19, 29-31, 15-12) to slip to the consolation match, where they fell to Eddyville-Blakesburg 2-1 (25-22, 26-24, 19-17).

The 2-3 mark on the day moves the Pella volleyball team’s record to 4-17 overall, with a return to Little Hawkeye Conference play on Tuesday against Grinnell.