Pella claimed victory in the Tulip City volleyball showdown Tuesday, sweeping the crosstown Eagles 25-19, 25-11, and 25-18.
The Lady Dutch controlled the entire match, and only trailed by one point in the first half of the third set.
Head Coach Catie Brand tells KNIA/KRLS Sports she was impressed with how consistent the team was in the win, and with how they were able to exercise their will on Pella Christian.
“We put that energy into good play–we took the excitement and momentum into our defense, made some great plays and good swings at the net,” she says. “Just all-around, an aggressive night by us, which was great to see.”

Eagles Head Coach John Evenhouse credited Pella, saying they were the best team they faced in the early part of the season, but also remained optimistic about the Eagles’ ability to play better given more time.
“We had three girls on the floor who have seven games each of varsity experience, and Emily Holterhaus is load out there — she’s really good, and the rest of their team is solid too. Natalie Clayberg comes in and gets some very nice hits, their middle [Jenna Schulte] does a nice job of tipping, they’re just a very solid team,” Evenhouse says.
“We’re talking about three weeks from now, we’re going to be pretty salty out here, but it’s going to take a little while.”
Emily Holterhaus had a monster night, racking up 22 kills and no hitting errors. Pella’s Natalie Clayberg had her best offensive showing, collecting nine kills and three assists. For the Eagles, Danielle Vandevoort led the way with seven kills and two blocks, followed by five kills each from Molly Bolt and Ivy Terpstra.
Pella improves to 7-1 and is off until a showdown with Indianola on Tuesday, while Pella Christian falls to 3-4 and turns around to play at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Thursday.