Though their first conference match is still a week away, it would be a mistake to think that Pella volleyball coach Bob Fessler hasn’t been keeping an eye on the rest of the Little Hawkeye Conference. Fessler says a nearby rival has emerged as the leader early in the season, but thinks that several teams could be in contention for a league crown by the end of the season.

“The conference this year is going to be interesting. I think Pella Christian is the clear-cut team out front. Grinnell had some good young teams this past year, [and] I expect their juniors to really be adding to their mix,” said Fessler.

“Sarah DeRonde down at Oskaloosa always has her teams ready to play, [and] I’d like to think by the end of the year we’ve got a chance to win a few games. There’s good competition in our conference, and it’ll be exciting to see how it all pans out.”

The Lady Dutch open up conference play on September 13th against Newton. Up first will be the Southeast Polk Tournament this coming Saturday.