The Pella Christian volleyball team used a pair of big runs in the first two sets and a resilient final set to earn a 3-0 sweep over South Tama in the opening round of the Class 3A Region 3 tournament on Tuesday.

The Eagles held a narrow advantage through the first part of the opening set, jumping out to a 14-11 lead, before going on a 9-0 run en route to a 25-16 win. Pella Christian carried that momentum into the second set, beginning it with a 13-0 run, and finished it off with their second 25-16 victory to move within a set of the sweep. The Trojans didn’t go away easily, with neither team leading by more than five points in the third set, but the Eagles held off the late charge to secure the sweep with a 25-23 victory. Brynn Roozeboom powered the Pella Christian offense with 12 kills in the win, while Brynn Runner dished out 20 assists and had a team-high 10 digs. Mya Huisman and Addie Van Arendonk led an aggressive serving attack for the Eagles with 4 aces each, while Isla Blommers recorded three aces. Roozeboom said that getting this first victory was a big confidence booster for the rest of the postseason, but adds that the job isn’t finished yet.

“It’s always nerve racking going into the postseason but once you get the first win under your belt, I feel like it’ll give us the confidence we need to keep going forward and getting these next few wins. They’re going to be tough but I know we can do it and this extra boost of confidence definitely will help.”

Hear more about the win from Roozeboom, Huisman, and Runner on Today’s Lely Radio Sports Page. Pella Christian will now turn their attention to the regional semifinals, where they will travel to Van Meter to square off with the Bulldogs on Thursday at 7 pm.