A slow start turned into a quick race to the finish line as the No. 10 Pella volleyball team defeated Grinnell 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-11, 25-12) Tuesday evening.

On the night the Class of 2022 was celebrated, several hitting and serving errors in the first two sets eventually allowed the Tigers to win their first set against the Dutch in 13 matchups dating back to 2012. The blip seemed to awaken Pella in all phases, and led to several long service runs, including Katie Pollock and six aces during a 12 point stretch and a three-ace-in-a-row series by Bailey Van Voorst.

Senior Ella Corbin says while it’s not ideal to have slow starts or lapses in select sets, she’s thankful this year’s team has found a way to battle back from some of that adversity that otherwise hampered them in the previous two seasons.

Corbin, Van Voorst, Jasmine Namminga, Meridith Rowe, and Avey Amelse all had at least seven kills on the evening. Pella improves to 20-7 overall and 5-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference, currently in a three-way tie with Oskaloosa and Indianola for the league lead. The Dutch welcome five other teams to Pella High School Saturday for their home invitational.