If the #11 in 4A Pella volleyball team wants to complete their goal of a regular season Little Hawkeye Conference championship, they will have to knock off one of the contenders for a state championship at home this evening.

No. 4 in 4A Oskaloosa (16-3, 3-0 LHC) is traveling to the home of the Dutch (13-5, 2-1 LHC) in a clash of the two of the preseason favorites to claim the league title. Both teams have only lost to ranked foes thus far in 2021, and all but one match have come in tournament formats.

Pella has owned the all-time series 13-6, but Osky has had the series largely dominated as of late, winning 3 of 4, including a 2-0 sweep of the Dutch earlier this fall at the Southeast Polk Metro Classic.

Oskaloosa’s featured player is four-year varsity starter Faith DeRonde — her 229 kills and 5.1 per set lead Class 4A by a wide margin. While DeRonde deserves the headlines and focus of most teams, the Indians are deep — with a two-setter offense keyed by Olivia Gordon and Presley Blommers, and Maleah Walker providing a strong second option if teams hone in the senior star.

The ranked showdown of Highway 163 rivals begins at 7:15 p.m. at Pella High School, and the match can be watched on the Pella Dutch Live YouTube channel.