The #9 (2A) Aplington-Parkersburg volleyball team will look to take another step toward a third straight state tournament appearance when it hosts East Sac County for a 2A Region 7 semifinal Monday, which’ll air on 104.9 KLMJ and RadioOnTheGo’s YouTube channel.
The Falcons (26-10) last competed in Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Alta-Aurelia, where they began postseason play with a 3-0 sweep. They hit .200, which beats their season average, and many players contributed to the offense with a team-high 13 kills by Jenzen Klooster. Senior outside hitter Kolbie Wangsness describes the biggest x-factors for the team as it continues to advance.
“A lot of communication,” Wangsness says. “When we don’t communicate, we kind of play really tense. So I think lots of communication right from the start about everything, about what kind of serve we’re going to see, what’s open, things like that. Because when we communicate, we play so strong and our offense is going, our passing is going. We play strong defense because we’re not hesitating on who’s going. And I think communication and just those smart swings, smart offense, smart defense, being disciplined and being ready to go and all in every game.”
The Raiders (18-14) are in the Twin Lakes Conference, the same league as AP’s previous opponent. They defeated Ridge View 3-2 in Wednesday’s quarterfinal, where they came back from a 2-0 deficit. A duo of senior attackers contribute the bulk of the offense, led by Katelyn Schmitt with 2.7 kills per set.
Pregame coverage will start at 6:45 p.m., followed by the first serve at 7:00. The winner will advance to Wednesday’s regional final against either Missouri Valley or #7 (2A) Riverside.
