It’s been a rough start to the 2023 campaign for new head coach Liz Baethke and the Ankeny volleyball team.
Baethke, who left Urbandale after 23 years to take over the Hawkettes’ program, will begin the season without Ankeny’s top two returning players. Senior right-side hitter Tanith Roush suffered a broken leg during the preseason, while senior outside hitter Aowyn Schrader has been bothered by a hyperextended elbow.
Still, Baethke is feeling optimistic.
“Even without those two kids, it’s just a different level of practice when you’re this deep on the bench,” Baethke said. “You can just see the progress quickly. We’ll be just fine, and we’ll be even better when we’re 100 percent. I’m feeling good about our options.”
Roush, a North Dakota State recruit, racked up 287 kills as a junior. She posted a team-high .326 hitting percentage and also had 64 blocks while helping the Hawkettes to a 35-5 record and a trip to the Class 5A state tournament.
Roush was named to the Class 5A all-state second team along with Schrader by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association. Both players were also selected to the Class 5A West all-district team.
Roush broke both her tibia and fibula bones, but is on the road to recovery.
“She is out of her boot,” Baethke said. “There is a chance that she could come back, but we need to be prepared either way. She’s just so determined to get back on the court, and obviously that’s a motivator. She seems to be making pretty steady progress, and if she can come back it’s going to be awesome.”
Schrader, meanwhile, pounded a team-high 320 kills while hitting .313 a year ago. The Middle Tennessee State recruit helped Ankeny to the CIML Conference title.
Schrader earned all-conference first-team honors for the second straight year. She was joined on the squad by Roush.
Schrader could be back in the lineup by the end of the month.
“Her elbow needed quite a bit of rest,” Baethke said. “But I believe she’s going to start getting into practice and seeing how it feels at least, and then kind of go from there.”
Until Schrader returns, senior middle hitter Ava Wille is the team’s only returning starter. She led the squad last season with 94 blocks while also recording 133 kills.
Wille helped the Hawkettes to a perfect 8-0 mark in the conference. She earned all-conference honorable mention.
“She’s been solid all the way through the preseason,” Baethke said. “She’s been very consistent.”
Junior defensive specialist Baileigh Carlsen also saw a lot of action last year. She played in 38 of the 40 matches, starting eight times.
Carlsen ranked third on the squad with 187 digs. She also completed 301-of-327 serves (92.0 percent) and had 27 aces.
Carlsen verbally committed to Auburn last week.
“She’s really been turning it on at practice,” Baethke said. “She’s stepping it up, and I think it was just a matter of getting comfortable with a new team. She may have been a little tentative as a sophomore, but now I think she’s more free to be the player that those college coaches saw and that I’ve seen, too. She’s on the right path.”
Junior outside hitter Reagan Hanfelt is also expected to play a major role. She verbally committed to Iowa State last week.
“Reagan has a lot of potential,” Baethke said. “It’s just a different atmosphere at practice right now. It’s really intense, and the players go hard. Even though there’s just a few returners off last year’s team, they’re driven and sort of have a chip on their shoulder. I really like the vibe that is going on at the gym.”
Seniors Lauren Dockendorff and Cloey Wiederin are battling for the setter position. Junior Kaelin Black could also see some action at that spot.
“To run a 5-1 (offense) in this conference, that setter has to be a solid blocker. Otherwise, you’re going to have to run a 6-2,” Baethke said. “I think I would prefer to just have one setter, but in this league you can’t afford to have a 5-6 kid in the front row–unless that kid can just jump out of the gym.”
Baethke said she’s excited about the team’s depth, which could pay off right away during the absences of Roush and Schrader.
“At Urbandale, I maybe had three kids (coming off the bench),” she said. “I thought we did the best that we could with what we had. It’s so fun now to have enough kids that we can compete back and forth with each other. That’s what makes kids better.”
Ankeny will open its season on Tuesday with a CIML Conference match at Dowling Catholic. The Hawkettes will then compete in the Ankeny Centennial Invitational on Aug. 26.
Baethke is asking her players to be patient.
“I see what’s there, and I see the potential,” she said. “We have a lot of work to do, I’m not going to deny that. But we know that the end result for this season could be fantastic, and we’re really going to have to trust the process.”
