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Katie Scheckel’s clutch plays help send Pella to 4A state volleyball title match with sweep of Sergeant Bluff-Luton
Dutch sweep Sergeant Bluff-Luton, will go after their first title Thursday
Nov. 6, 2024 1:55 pm, Updated: Nov. 6, 2024 2:22 pm
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CORALVILLE — Katie Scheckel is one of those combo players. A setter, and a hitter.
“She comes in clutch,” Pella teammate Brooke Schulte said. “We have complete trust in her when she’s got the ball.”
Combo, and clutch.
Scheckel accounted for the final two points — one as a setter, the other as an attacker — and fifth-ranked Pella swept No. 12 Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 25-15, 25-14, 25-23, in a Class 4A semifinal at the state volleyball tournament Wednesday afternoon at Xtream Arena.
“We all believed we could do it,” Schulte said. “But still, it’s kind of surreal, kind of unreal.”
The Dutch (41-7) seek their first championship at 12:15 Thursday afternoon, when they face No. 2 Sioux City Heelan (43-3).
Pella rolled through the first two sets, but faced a 23-22 deficit in the third.
Schulte’s kill got the Dutch all-square at 23-23, then it was Scheckel’s “clutch” time.
Her second-ball dump kill found the floor, getting Pella to match point.
“The (defensive specialists) were yelling that it was open,” Scheckel kill.
Scheckel followed with a right-side kill to polish it off.
The junior finished the match with 16 kills, 20 assists and 10 digs.
Schulte and Emma Eekhoff added 10 kills apiece, and Pella enjoyed a 47-23 advantage in that department.
Sergeant Bluff-Luton finished 22-14. The Warriors stunned No. 1 Cedar Rapids Xavier in the first round. Bre VanDenTop collected 10 kills.
Pella 3, Sergeant-Bluff-Luton 0
(25-15, 25-14, 25-23)
Class 4A State Semifinal, at Coralville
Serving: SBL 49-53 (.925), Pella 68-74 (.919)
Aces: SBL 4 (Makenna Nelson 2), Pella 7 (Sadie DeJong 3)
Kills: SBL 23 (Bre VanDenTop 10), Pella 47 (Katie Scheckel 16)
Assists: SBL 22 (Bailey Ball 16), Pella 45 (Scheckel, Emma Eekhoff 20)
Blocks: SBL 2 (Madison Kvidera 1), Pella 5 (Sydney Namminga 1.5)
Digs: SBL 42 (Kaitlyn Hardie 12), Pella 55 (Claire Smock 16)
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
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