The Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial volleyball teams collided in the quarterfinals of last year’s Class 5A state tournament.
There’s a chance that it could happen again this season.
The Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union announced its regional pairings on Thursday. Centennial has been placed in Region 3, while Ankeny is in Region 4.
The defending state champion Hawkettes (31-5) moved up one spot to No. 4 in the latest Class 5A rankings that were announced on Thursday. Centennial (23-6) dropped two spots to No. 6 after losing to unranked Waukee Northwest on Tuesday.
Based on the current rankings, it’s entirely possible that the two Ankeny teams could meet in the Class 5A quarterfinals. If both teams advance to state and No. 5 Dowling Catholic is the only top-five team that fails to qualify, Centennial would then move up to the No. 5 seed and would face Ankeny in the quarterfinals.
Both Ankeny teams will host a regional semifinal on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. The Hawkettes will host the winner of a quarterfinal match between Ottumwa (7-17) and Waukee (6-24), while Centennial will meet either Des Moines East (3-19) or Des Moines Roosevelt (10-16).
With a victory, the Jaguars would face No. 11 Cedar Rapids Prairie (16-10) or Waukee Northwest (14-16) in the regional final. That match will be played on Oct. 26 at a site to be determined.
Ankeny, meanwhile, would play either No. 13 Iowa City High (14-11) or Southeast Polk (9-15) on Oct. 26 at a site to be determined, assuming the Hawkettes win their semifinal match.
