Saturday was a tremendous day for the Ankeny Centennial Jaguars in Iowa City.
While former Centennial football star Riley Moss was having a great game at Kinnick Stadium, the Centennial volleyball team was finding success as well a few miles away.
The seventh-ranked Jaguars cruised to the championship of the Little Hawk Invitational at Iowa City High. They defeated all four of their opponents in straight sets in the round-robin event.
“It was a great day for Jag volleyball,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart, whose team improved to 11-3 on the season. “We played consistently tough the entire day.”
Centennial opened the tournament with wins over Bettendorf and Council Bluffs Lewis Central, the No. 12 team in Class 4A. The Jaguars lost to both of those squads in the 2019 tournament before last year’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Centennial posted a 21-19, 21-9 win over Bettendorf. The Jaguars defeated Lewis Central, 21-11, 21-10.
Centennial also routed another ranked foe, posting a 21-6, 21-11 victory over No. 13 Dubuque Hempstead. Hempstead lost for only the second time in eight matches.
The Jaguars’ other win came against host Iowa City High, 21-11, 21-16.
“Our defense caught fire, and we had more of a balanced attack that we’ve been working on,” Rinehart sad. “Our overall energy and execution reached another level. I’m really proud of our team and excited to build on this weekend.”
The Jaguars will host a CIML Iowa Conference match against Marshalltown (1-4) on Tuesday.
