LAKE MILLS, Iowa &045; After going undefeated in the North Iowa Conference during the regular season, the Lake Mills volleyball team followed suit in the NIC tournament.

The Bulldogs successfully defended their conference tourney championship Monday, defeating Forest City and Osage. Lake Mills improved its record to 26-1, with a record of 61-4 in games.

It’s the first time Lake Mills has captured both the regular-season and NIC tournament titles in the same season.

The Bulldogs beat Belmond-Klemme in the semifinals, winning 25-18, 25-15, 25-7.

&uot;It was very close early on,&uot; said coach Jim Boehmer. &uot;B-K has some very talented players and had some injuries lately. They played Osage to a 3-2 loss in the NIC and beat Forest City 3-0, so we felt we had to play well to win.&uot;

Sophomore Megan Pederson led the way at the net with 12 kills. Lacey Mathews and Sarah Abele had seven kills apiece. Molly Nelson was 15-for-15 serving with five aces, Melissa Brackey 13-for-15 with three aces. Jennie Finer handed out 27 set assists. Nelson was the leader in digs with 10.

&uot;A key to this win was good aggressive serving and consistent front-row play,&uot; said Boehmer. &uot;Jennie is doing a good job of getting the ball to our hitters.&uot;

The Bulldogs topped Forest City 25-7, 25-14, 25-11 in the finals.

Pederson, a sophomore, had another big match, with 14 kills while going 9-for-10 at the service line with three aces.

&uot;Megan hit as well as she has all year,&uot; said Boehmer. &uot;She is a dominant front-row and back-row player.&uot;

Brackey was 25-for-27 serving with four aces, including 17 straight points in game one. Nelson was 12-for-14 with three aces. Elise Kingland and Mathews each added four kills. Finer had 21 set assists. Abele led with 10 digs.

&uot;We were able to capitalize on offense,&uot; said Boehmer. &uot;Tonight our front row was dominant. They hit well and blocked well. Teams are forced to change their offense, and that is to our advantage.&uot;