It’s advantage Pella for the second half of the Little Hawkeye Conference volleyball season as the #11 Dutch knocked off #4 Oskaloosa 3-1 (19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23) in a showdown for control of the league standings Tuesday at Pella High School.

Despite dropping the first set, Pella appeared to be in control of the majority of the match, with the Indians committing several hitting and serving errors that prevented them from getting too much footing. A strong offensive combo of Bailey Van Voorst and Avey Amelse, with 17 and 12 kills respectively, allowed the home team to overcome several serving errors of their own. Van Voorst says improvements defensively and finding offensive rhythm in the final three sets opened the door for a critical victory.

FULL INTERVIEW WITH VAN VOORST:

With half of the conference season in the books, the win gives Pella control of their own destiny when it comes to at least tying for the conference regular season crown; Oskaloosa has yet to play 13th ranked Indianola, and despite their round one win over the Dutch, those Indians also have Warren County rival Norwalk (15th in 4A) on their docket as well as their mascot counterparts from their east on Highway 92. The Dutch won’t take their schedule for granted — but they have teams 5-7 in the conference standings left, holding an advantage heading into the home stretch.

Pella improves to 14-5 overall and 3-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. They head to Dallas Center-Grimes Tuesday after a weekend away from tournaments.