The #9 (2A) Aplington-Parkersburg volleyball team will begin postseason play Wednesday by hosting Alta-Aurelia in a 2A Region 7 quarterfinal. It’ll air on 99 The Wave and RadioOnTheGo’s YouTube channel.
The Falcons (25-10) will begin their quest for a third straight state tournament appearance. They’ve won three straight entering postseason play, including a tight sweep of South Hardin in the regular season finale.
The Warriors (16-9) finished second in the Twin Lakes Conference and has won nine straight, including Monday’s 3-0 win over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows to begin postseason play. They haven’t dropped a set since Saturday, October 4. AP coach Candace Kleespies says the Warriors present some similarities to a previous postseason opponent.
“Two years ago we had Emmetsburg come in and we played them in an early round, and a lot of people weren’t really aware of who they were as a team,” Kleespies says. “We knew that they were going to give us a good push, and I would kind of equate Alta-Aurelia to them a couple years ago. They have some girls that have played quite a few years for them and they have also now taken on bigger roles this year, and they have a really good right pin who’s a lefty and then their two left pins do a good job. And then they have a freshman libero that comes in and does a great job for a freshman, does not play like a freshman. We told the girls it’s definitely not an easy game, and we’re going to have to show off and just be disciplined and push right from the start.”
Hayden Berkland leads the team with 3.5 kills per set, representing the majority of the team’s offense.
Coverage will start at 6:45 p.m., followed by the first serve at 7:00. The winner will advance to Monday’s regional semifinal against either East Sac County or Ridge View.
Candace Kleespies interview:
