Ankeny volleyball coach Liz Baethke was happy that her team took care of business quickly.
The eighth-ranked Hawkettes rolled to a 25-14, 25-16, 25-14 victory over visiting Urbandale on Thursday. It marked the first time that Baethke has faced her former team.
She coached the J-Hawks for 23 years before leaving over the summer to take the reins of the Ankeny program.
“I kind of wanted to get it over with,” Baethke said. “I’m not one to look back once I made the decision (to come here).”
The Hawkettes improved to 4-3 in the CIML Conference and 20-12 overall. Urbandale’s records dropped to 0-7 and 8-17.
The two teams could meet again in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Oct. 19.
“It is what it is,” Baethke said of the potential postseason matchup.
Ankeny dominated Thursday’s match with the exception of a brief J-Hawks’ rally in Set 2. The Hawkettes rebounded from Tuesday’s five-set loss at No. 2 Ankeny Centennial.
“The girls were pretty disappointed with that loss, but it was pretty obvious to everyone that we know what we’re made of now and just want to keep building on that,” Baethke said.
Ava Wille pounded a kill to close out Thursday’s win. Fellow senior Tanith Roush entered the match to serve the final point, making her season debut for the Hawkettes.
The North Dakota State recruit suffered a broken leg in the preseason.
“I just love this team so much, and I’ve been praying for a really long time,” said Roush. “I was actually just praying before the game started just to play one more game with them because I didn’t know if I was ever going to.”
Roush said her recovery is going well.
“I’ve been starting to slowly work my way back into practice, but not doing anything that would set me back,” she said. “My goal is to be ready for state, and I think I’m on the road there.”
Ankeny will close out its conference season by hosting No. 6 Valley (13-10) on Tuesday. The Hawkettes will be looking to avenge two earlier losses.
