The #5 (2A) Aplington-Parkersburg volleyball team will host Ogden in a 2A Region 5 quarterfinal Wednesday, which will air on 99 The Wave.
The Falcons (33-6) are coming off their best regular season since 2007, having taken care of business against most opponents to earn a top seed in regional play. Head Coach Candace Kleespies says the team’s recent success means they’ll need to be ready for each opponent’s best effort.
“We’ve talked a lot about how you’re going to get everyone’s best because of where you’ve kind of put yourself this year and what you’ve earned in that top five,” Kleespies says. “We just have to be ready to go. They have a couple of girls that have some pretty good serves. So we’re going to have to just really dial in on serve receive. A couple of taller right pins that we’re just going to have to be conscious of when we’re going up to hit. And we also keep telling the girls that if we come out and play our game, we’re really hard to beat. We’re trying to take care of our side of the net as much as possible, with just a couple cues of what’s going to happen against them.”
The Falcons have found success all across the court, including a team-high 3.7 kills per set by outside hitter Peyton Klooster, backed up by a .242 efficiency as a team. Middle hitter Zoey Uhlenhopp has been an x-factor, with a .360 efficiency.
Ogden (9-16) opened their postseason with a 3-2 home win over South Hamilton Monday, where they came back from a 2-1 deficit. The team has hit -.010 on the season.
The first serve will be at 7:00 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:40 with Jon Mohwinkle on the call. The winner will advance to Monday’s regional semifinal against either Lake Mills or Belmond-Klemme.
Candace Kleespies pregame interview:
