ROCKWELL, Iowa – The Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons are a proud volleyball team with a strong tradition, and they dug everything in sight.

Friday, November 02, 2001

ROCKWELL, Iowa – The Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons are a proud volleyball team with a strong tradition, and they dug everything in sight.

But you can’t stop what you can’t see. And the Lake Mills Bulldogs had a few too many of those.

Led by the spectacular spiking of seniors Katie Pederson, Kelsey Christianson and Jill Helgeson, the Bulldogs rolled to the Class 1A, Region 4 championship and into the state tournament with a 3-0 triumph at Rockwell Thursday night. Lake Mills won 15-9, 15-10, 15-10.

It’s the first trip to state for 10th-year head coach Jim Boehmer and the first for a Lake Mills volleyball team since 1982.

&uot;It’s just great,&uot; said Boehmer during a long postgame celebration in which fans rejoiced with the players. &uot;I’m afraid the alarm clock’s going to go off here. Is this a dream, or did it really happen?&uot;

Pederson said it was a dream come true.

&uot;I can’t explain in words how it feels,&uot; she said. &uot;We wanted this so bad. It feels so great to have it happen.&uot;

The Bulldogs made it happen with a relentless offense that highlighted Pederson but included several others. She finished with 20 kills and seven blocks. Christianson had 17 kills, Helgeson 10 kills and 10 service points. Ashley Pederson had seven kills.

Katy Kingland distributed 49 set assists to the hitters. She also served five aces and had 11 service points. Kjerstin Back had three aces and 11 points. Becky Nelson was 15-for-15 at the line.

The rest of the squad includes seniors Natalie Winter, Leah Iverson and Staci Hagen, juniors Kasey Nelson and Jenny Wilkinson, and sophomores Jaci Grotewold, Hannah Iverson, Cristy Nelson and Mindy Bjelland.

Boehmer’s coaching staff includes Donna Ellingson – who was the Bulldogs’ head coach the last time they went to state – along with Ree Pederson Gaskill and Chris Rohde.

Aplington-Parkersburg, which finished second in last year’s state tournament and is ranked No. 10 in the state, ended the season with a record of 30-10-1.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 12, will take a 32-6-1 record into the state tournament Nov. 8-10 at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. Their first match is set for 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8.

&uot;We just want to say we are so thankful for all the fan support we’ve received,&uot; said Katie Pederson. &uot;The coaches have been great. The parents have been great. We just appreciate everything everyone has done.&uot;

Boehmer said the turning point for the Bulldogs’ season came early, after a slower-than-expected 10-4 start.

&uot;At that point, we told the girls to relax, start playing and have fun,&uot; said Boehmer. &uot;We’ve gone 22-2 since, and we’ve been clicking on all cylinders. I’m real proud and real happy with what the girls have accomplished.&uot;