Indians Advance to Regional Final with Sweep of Fairfield

by Wade Steinlage

Oskaloosa–The Oskaloosa girls’ volleyball team checked off its first box for the postseason as it defeated Fairfield 3-0 in the Class 4A regional semifinals last Thursday.

#6 Oskaloosa (30-4), which won by scores of 25-4, 25-13, 25-8, will now host #7 Pella in Oskaloosa Tuesday at 7 p.m. for a trip to the state tournament on the line.

The Trojans (13-20), who slipped past Mount Pleasant in five sets in the opening round last Tuesday, could not keep pace with the home squad, who held a .426-.040 hitting advantage.

The Indians dominated the Trojans from the opening serve. Speaking of serving, the hosts produced 24 aces against just five errors and cruised through each set.

DeRonde was exceptional with 14 kills and a .619 attack clip. Maleah Walker contributed six winners, while Rylee Ebelsheiser was perfect on the night with five kills in five attempts. Aby Thompson matched Ebelsheiser with five kills as well.

Olivia Gordon was OHS’ lone setter, assisting on 31 of the team’s 33 total kills.

Regarding the aforementioned 24 aces, nine of them came from Walker with seven more by DeRonde. Addison Gerard and Presley Blommers served up three each as well.

DeRonde’s eight digs were a team high, while Walker and Macie Krier tallied seven apiece.

“It was a full team win; we were able to utilize some of our subs during the final set, which was fun for everyone,” Head Coach Jennifer Comfort said. “We made some lineup adjustments and the athletes trusted the plan and executed at a high level.”

“We have talked all season about playing with purpose, about being aggressive from the service line and on offense, and about playing together,” Comfort added. “This team has translated all their hard work in practice into a high-level of execution in a match and put it all together and on display against Fairfield. We have our eyes on the green banner and we are ready to take on Pella at home on Tuesday.”