The Knoxville Volleyball Squad hopes it will be a sea of gold tonight in Panther Gym. The Panthers will host Pella in senior night and Pack the Gym and the theme is “Be Bold Wear Gold.”

Aside from the expected large crowd, the Panthers can also clinch fourth place in the Little Hawkeye Conference. Panthers Coach Eric Fee says finishing has still been a focal point of practice.

“I think defensively we match up with any team we face, but offensively – you know you can only dig a ball so many times – and if you can’t finish or terminate, you’re going to have to try and defend again,” says Fee.

“You can defend twice and play that ball up, but the third time you face that kill, you may not be as efficient or effective. We’ve got to learn how to finish when we get that opportunity.”

Tonight’s match will be the fourth time this season that the two Marion County schools have faced each other, with the Panthers and the Lady Dutch first squaring off at the Newton tournament earlier this month, before facing each other twice more in their own respective Saturday tournaments.

Pella High head coach Bob Fessler says he expects another competitive match tonight and looks forward to another opportunity to coach against a friend and colleague.

“Eric Fee is a good friend of mine, and I just really appreciate what he gets out of his kids. They’ve worked so hard and improved so much, and we just seem to always have dogfights,” says Fessler. “It’s great competition and it’s a lot of fun. We’re going to have to play really well to beat them.”

Pella High is 10-23 overall, while Knoxville carries a 15-19 record into the match, which will be the final regular season match of the season for both squads before they face each other – AGAIN – in the opening round of the Class 3A Regional Tournament.

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