By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians were on the road for the first round of the 4A region playoffs on Tuesday and lost in a sweep to the Pella Dutch (25-19, 25-16, 25-20).

Just five days prior, Pella had swept Oskaloosa to conclude the regular season (25-17, 25-21, 25-18). The Dutch were able to maintain the upper hand in the matchup on Tuesday night with consistently excellent serve receive and an offense that spread the ball around effectively.

The first set saw Pella jump out to a 12-6 lead thanks to an early run. The Indians traded points with them for the rest of the set, but they were unable to cut the deficit to less than 4 points. The Dutch won the set 25-19.

In the second set, Oskaloosa started strong and appeared to be on their way to tying the match at 1-1. However, when the Indians led 15-13, the Dutch went on a rampage, scoring 11 consecutive points. The set ended after the whirlwind of points with Pella as the victor, 25-16.

Pella kept that momentum into the early portion of the third and final set by sprinting out to an 8-1 lead. Oskaloosa responded by cutting the deficit to 4 points midway through, but after leading 14-10, the Dutch once again came alive and doubled their lead, forcing a match point scenario up 24-16. Oskaloosa put together a strong sequence of rallies but their comeback fell short, 25-20.

The Indians finish their season with a 12-18 record, tripling their win total from the 2025 season. They graduate 4 seniors: Hannah Van Arkel, Cylee Smith, Ireland McGraw, and Aracelli Pilcher.