Pella’s third straight trip to the volleyball state tournament ended in the opening round this time as they were swept by defending champions Wahlert (13-25, 24-26, 22-25) in a 4A quarterfinals match heard live from Cedar Rapids on 92.1 KRLS.

The Lady Dutch, after a disappointing first set, where able to charge back in the second and had the Golden Eagles down to set point, but Pella was unable to find the final kill to tie the series, and instead fell behind 2-0 overall.

Pella rallied from four down twice in the third set, including a rally led by senior server Cecily Johnson to make it 22-23, but dropped the final three points to end their season.

Head Coach Catie Brand says despite the disappointment of being unable to find victory, she was incredibly proud of both late rallies and how the team fared against the No. 2 rated team in 4A.

Pella was led by 15 kills from Emily Holterhaus, two third-set blocks from Jenna Schulte, a pair of aces from Johnson and Kennady Klein, and a three-kill, clutch point night from Paighton Bogaards.

The Lady Dutch end their season at 33-7 and say farewell to six seniors.