The Class 2A #9 Pella Christian volleyball team opened regional action with a 25-8, 25-18, 25-16 quarterfinals sweep over Earlham on Wednesday night. 

The Eagles were firing on all cylinders from the game’s first serve, jumping out to a 9-2 lead early in the first set before cruising to a 25-8 victory. The Cardinals showed more resistance in the second set, pulling ahead 10-7 before a Pella Christian timeout. The Eagles rallied out of the timeout, scoring the next seven points to go ahead 14-10. Earlham hung around for the next eight points, keeping Pella Christian’s lead within four until the 18-14 mark. The Eagles took control of the set at that point, closing on a 7-4 run to win the second set. The third set saw four ties through the first 12 points, but Pella Christian never trailed. The Eagles began to pull ahead with a 15-12 advantage midway through the set, and finished off the match with a 10-4 run to advance to the Class 2A Region 8 semifinals.

Chloe Huisman posted a double-double on the night, picking up 28 assists and 12 digs to pair with a team-high 4 aces. Brynn Roozeboom and Rachel Kacmarynski led Pella Christian’s offensive attack with 10 kills apiece, while Kacmarynski, Addison Bandstra, and Claire Westerkamp each recorded two blocks defensively. Westerkamp said the Eagles pregame routines played a key role in helping the team come out ready to go in the win Wednesday night.

“Some of the energy comes from how we warm up and kind of what you don’t see in the locker room. We like to blast a lot of music and that gets everybody hype, but then I think having good warm ups definitely translates into how we start to play. And I just think we do a good job of starting with a lot of energy, and that helps a lot.”

Pella Christian will host Pleasantville in the semifinals on Monday at 7 pm, and the game can be viewed live on the Pella Christian YouTube Channel.