There was no chance that the Ankeny volleyball team was going to overlook Iowa City High on Tuesday.
Not with a trip to the state tournament at stake.
The third-ranked Hawkettes romped to a 25-12, 25-19, 25-9 victory over No. 13 City High in a Class 5A regional final at Ankeny.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be going back to the Cell (U.S. Cellular Center) because you can never take the postseason for granted, especially with Class 5A,” said Ankeny libero Lexi Stephens, who had 15 digs in the win. “There are so many good teams out there and a lot of tough competition, but we are ready to be back.”
Ankeny (39-5) advanced to state for the fourth straight year by defeating the Little Hawks (20-15) for the second time. The Hawkettes posted a 21-18, 21-14 win at the Bettendorf Invitational on Oct. 9.
“Tonight it was our ability to serve tough to spots we wanted to serve to,” said Ankeny coach Dave Whims. “The serving kept them out of system most of the night and gave us great opportunities to dig balls to our setters, and they did a great job distributing the ball to the hitters.”
Ankeny completed 71-of-74 serves (95.9 percent) in the match. Maddie Foels went 15-of-15 and had a pair of aces, while Halle Ouellette went 14-of-14 from behind the line.
“It did help that we played City High before because they have a good team and a good coach and they are pretty young so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them dominating in the next couple of years, but the most important thing that helped us was everyone watched film and scouted their rotation,” Stephens said. “We went into the game prepared and with a good mindset, and no matter the outcome we just wanted to have fun.”
Ava Reynolds led Ankeny with 16 kills and also had 10 digs. Olivia Harpenau and Tanith Roush each had eight kills, while Myra Carlson added five.
Adalyn Goodwin dished out 21 assists and Jesa Wallace added 13 as the Hawkettes hit .493 on the night.
“Our outsides continue to pound the ball, and Tanith looked very good on the opposite side,” Whims said. “She continues to improve and has become a huge factor in our offensive system.”
Carlson contributed four blocks on defense. Roush added three more.
Whims was pleased with his team’s ability to transition from defense to offense.
“It was great to see us go from serve receive and pass the ball up and get into an offense,” he said. “I feel that is the toughest part of the game, and we spend a great deal of time trying to get better at it.”
After easily winning the first set, Ankeny fought off a valiant effort by City High in the second set. The Hawkettes then dominated the third set to complete the sweep.
“I think it was important to make a big presence at the beginning of the match,” Stephens said. “It showed City High that we were there to punch our ticket again, and we were going to do so fighting. The momentum and energy we brought into the first set then carried over to the next two and overall everybody came out ready to play.”
Ankeny is now three wins away from defending its state title. The Hawkettes will play No. 6 Urbandale (33-8) in the Class 5A quarterfinals on Monday at 2 p.m. at Cedar Rapids.
Ankeny and Urbandale are among five CIML teams in the field. No. 5 Dowling Catholic, No. 7 Ankeny Centennial and No. 10 Johnston also qualified.
“I think all the teams have beaten each other so it should be a great state tournament,” Whims said.
Ankeny swept the J-Hawks on Sept. 9 at Urbandale, but all three sets were close. The J-Hawks then won a rematch, 21-15, 21-11, at the Waukee Invitational on Sept. 18.
