After the departure of a Class of 2022 group that had several years of varsity experience and four collegiate signees playing this fall, the expectations may be different for the Pella volleyball team.

Following a battle for a conference championship and the hopes of returning to the state tournament dashed in the regional final in 2021, a lot of new faces in new places may mean that those goals on the surface are more challenging. However, Senior Jasmine Namminga believes it was difficult at times to play with that pressure, and believes that a fresh start could ultimately be a good thing, as playing the role of underdog and spoiler early in the season may make them a dangerous opponent in the postseason.

“I think it is less nerve racking in a sense,” Namminga says. “We don’t have as much outside pressure on us and I feel like we’ve had more freedom to experience the fun of [volleyball] and experiment with stuff too without those pressures of ‘this person has to be here’ and ‘we have to win that.'”

“I think as a whole, this program has been able to be a lot more versatile and flexible, and I honestly think it will help us push to not necessarily break any stigma this team has, but I do know that nobody is like, ‘oh wow, Pella volleyball is going to be super good this year,’ and so I think it’s a chance for us to make an impact and statement about ourselves.”

Click here for a full interview with Namminga and Mia Warner.
The Dutch volleyball team opens the regular season Tuesday at home vs. Fairfield.