Despite losing six key players from last year’s team, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball squad still has plenty of reasons for optimism.
The Jaguars boast two of the state’s top juniors in Delaney Miller and Jaeden Pratt. They helped lead the team to a 30-10 record and a trip to the Class 5A semifinals a year ago.
“The practices have been going well,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart. “The girls worked extremely hard all summer and have been focusing in this preseason to be ready for the start of the season. The energy, focus and drive have consistently been there, and everyone is excited to get started.”
Pratt had 216 kills and a team-high 97 blocks while hitting .349 as a sophomore. She was also one of the team’s best servers, completing 364-of-386 attempts (94.3 percent) with 30 aces.
Pratt was named to the Class 5A all-state second team by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association. She was also a Class 5A all-tournament pick and a CIML Conference first-team selection.
Pratt, who is being heavily recruited for basketball, could be a volleyball prospect, too.
“She’s just a great athlete,” Rinehart said. “We moved her to the outside in order to leave her on the court for six rotations. She’s done a great job adjusting to the new role and will be fun to watch both offensively and defensively.”
Miller will also be a force on the outside after leading the Jaguars with 270 kills last season. She added 121 digs and 39 aces.
Miller was named to the CIML Conference second team. She also joined Pratt on the Class 5A West all-district team.
“She’s coming off a great club season,” Rinehart said. “Her team played at a high level and faced good competition. She looks great and has been carrying a big load throughout the summer.”
Senior middle hitter Anna Sash is the team’s other returning starter. She had 148 kills while hitting .268 a year ago and placed second on the team with 79 blocks.
“She’s entered her senior year on a mission,” Rinehart said. “She’s been a great leader for us on and off the court. She has a huge presence in the middle, and we expect her to do big things.”
Senior Kambria Leazer and sophomore Mya Lei-Butters are the team’s other returning varsity regulars.
Leazer will likely take over the setting duties following the graduation of Reagan Angus. She played in 29 matches last season, contributing 154 assists and 24 blocks.
“Kam had a great off-season as well,” Rinehart said. “She ran track and played club and has come back ready to run our offense. We’ve been going between a 5-1 and 6-2 and expect Kam to play a big role in that.”
Lei-Butters, a defensive specialist, played in all 40 matches as a freshman and racked up 124 digs. She also had 28 aces.
Lei-Butters will take over the libero position that was filled last year by Taylor Bechen.
“She played three rotations for us last year on defense,” Rinehart said. “She’s got a natural feel for the game and has been really steady and consistent for us in the libero position.”
Rinehart said she expects the five returnees to share the leadership duties along with a strong group of seniors.
“Our program has always put a heavy emphasis on seniors leading the way, and that has typically led us to really great places,” she said. “We have an awesome senior class, and we’re excited to see how far they can push our team.”
Centennial will open the season on Monday by hosting a non-conference match against Indianola. The Jaguars will host Waukee in their CIML Conference opener on Tuesday, then will host the Centennial Invitational on Saturday.
Rinehart said the Jaguars are splitting the season into three separate “chunks”.
“Our goals in this first chunk are to continue to fight to improve every time we take the court,” she said. “With a younger team and new roles we may have to experience some growing pains, but we plan to continue to communicate through those and get back in the gym and work on whatever areas need to get stronger. Ultimately it’s always a goal in this program to get to state and to win games down there, but right now we’re going to keep our focus on the first third of the season. I think we’re going to be a fun, athletic team to watch. We have a lot of depth which I think will help us reach high levels.”
