By BURDELL HENSLEY
CEDAR RAPIDS — State title dreams for Pella Christian became a nightmare Thursday night at the U.S. Cellular Center. A tall and talented IKM-Manning team made quick work of the Eagles with game scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-17.
With 6-foot-3 Katie Schechinger, a Drake basketball recruit, patrolling the net along with three other hitters that were in the six foot range, the Wolves rained balls on the Eagle defense. Complementing the hitting game was a defense that dug most everything the Eagles would hit. That combination was a formula that Pella Christian had no answer for.
The Wolves remained perfect in matches and games with the three game win. They are 40-0 in matches and an incredible 94-0 in games. Those figures gave Pella Christian coach John Evenhouse and indication that his team was facing a pretty good club.
“We knew they had a lot of talent,” Evenhouse said. “We had them scouted, but it was a little hard to get a read on them. They are a very good team, but their area of the state was not real strong this year. They proved that they can play with better competition as well. We got out passed in this game. We didn’t pass well and when our passing did not put a lot of pressure on them, they hit the ball like crazy.”
Pella Christian started well in game one as a block by Alaina Vermeer and a couple of hitting errors by the Wolves gave Pella Christian a 3-0 lead. At that point the Wolves took over with rugged Bailey Halbur in the middle and Schechinger on the outside scorching the Eagle defense with kills.
Pella Christian tried to get back in the game as a block point by Hannah Vos and a kill by Megan Bruxvoort narrowed the gap to 12-10. The Wolves regained the momentum with a 7-1 run and coasted to a 25-16 win.
In game two, the Eagles used a nice service run by Bruxvoort and three kills by Jana Van Zanten to grab a 6-3 lead. The Wolves used a 6-1 surge to get the lead back at 9-7 and then the game turned into a toe to toe slugfest.
A pair of kills by Vermeer allowed Pella Christian to tie the game at 11-11 and then Halbur took over at the net. Kills by Courtney Kroeze and Van Zanten tied the game at 16-16 and finally the Eagles got the lead at 19-18 on a kill by Vermeer and a hitting error by the Wolves. But that would be the last gasp as the Wolves went on a 7-1 run to notch a 25-20 win.
In game three, the Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead on kills by Van Zanten and Vos, but the Wolves answered with an 8-0 run to take control. Pella Christian was never able to recover and the Wolves slammed the door at 25-17.
The loss ends the season for the Eagles with a 32-8 record and ends the high school careers of six seniors. Evenhouse spoke of the quality of those seniors.
“Our seniors have played very well for us this year,” Evenhouse said. “They are top notch kids socially, academically and athletically and they have had a great influence on our program. They will be hard to replace and you don't replace potential all-staters right away. It will take a while for others to develop. Our JV and freshman teams had good seasons so we have some material to work with.”
Pella Christian 16 20 17, IKM-Manning 25 25 25
Pella Christian Statistics
Serving — Alaina Vermeer 10-for-10, 3 aces; Jana Van Zanten 6-for-6, 1ace; Bethany Van Kooten 7-for-7; Courtney Van Kooten 4-for-4; Kelli Van Wyk 6-for-7; Bekah Posthuma 4-for-5; Megan Bruxvoort 8-for-11.
Kills — Van Zanten 11, Vermeer 4, Hannah Vos 2.
Digs — Van Zanten 8, Van Wyk 8, Ver Meer 4.
Blocks — Van Zanten 4, Vermeer 4, Bruxvoort 3, Vos 2.
Assists — Posthuma 16.
