By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians volleyball team made the short trip to Pella Christian on Tuesday night in search of their first conference win since 2023 and fell short, 3-1.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair. Oskaloosa jumped out to an early lead, but Pella Christian quickly answered with a run to go up 12-9. Then the Indians scored 8 of the following 9 points, playing clean, mistake-free volleyball, to take a 17-13 advantage. The Eagles would hang around until late in the set, however, even making a late run to earn a 23-22 lead. But Oskaloosa was able to rally back and score the final three points to win the opening set, 25-23. The win came at a cost, though: senior outside hitter Hannah Van Arkel left the game during the set with a right knee injury, and she did not return.

The Indians held onto that momentum early in the second set, staking a 13-7 lead, and they appeared poised to take a 2-0 set advantage. However, the Eagles had other ideas, finding their groove in a hurry and finishing the second set on an 18-5 run to win 25-18. The Eagles were able to lean on senior Brynn Runner to consistently terminate rallies throughout the match, and the ending of the second set laid the groundwork for them to continue featuring her in their offense.

Set #3 saw Pella Christian hold the lead most of the way. They were up 22-16 late in the set before Oskaloosa went on a 7-2 run to make it a one-point lead. But the Eagles were resilient and won the final point to win 25-23 and take a 2-1 lead.

The fourth set ended up being the final set, as Pella Christian again bounced back from a deficit midway through. This time, they trailed the Indians 16-12 before scoring 7 straight points to take the lead, and they finished on a 4-point run to win 25-20, making the final set score 3-1.

Oskaloosa (6-7) travels to Southeast Polk this weekend for their next tournament appearance before they will visit the #1 (4A) Norwalk Warriors for their third conference match next Tuesday.