From the opening serve, the #5 in 4A Pella volleyball team never quite found its footing against #2 Bishop Heelan, who swept the Dutch 25-10, 25-13, 25-17 to win the Class 4A state title Thursday, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

Pella struggled to contain Crusader outside hitters Maliyah Hacker and Ava Lloyd, who combined for 34 kills, and couldn’t find the offense they needed to match the output. All-Tournament team selections Katie Scheckel and Emma Eekhoff finished with six and eight kills respectively.

The Dutch had split with Heelan in the 2024 season, defeating them in September — but the eventual champions won 33 of their next 34 games. Pella finishes 2024 at 41-8 overall in their second-ever state championship finals.