Tuesday’s CIML Conference volleyball match between second-ranked Ankeny Centennial and No. 3 Waukee Northwest contained all the drama of a state tournament matchup.
Both teams fought off two match points before the visiting Jaguars scored the last four points to pull out a thrilling 25-23, 25-21, 26-28, 13-25, 16-14 victory.
“It was a great win,” said Centennial junior Delaney Miller. “I’m just so proud of all of the girls, especially when we were down in that fifth set for rallying together and fighting together all the way.”
The win was Centennial’s second over the Wolves this season and allowed the Jaguars to earn a runner-up finish in the conference. Coach Jessica Rinehart’s squad finished 7-1 in the league and improved to 28-6 overall, while Northwest’s records dropped to 6-2 and 22-9.
Centennial won despite being outscored, 111-105, in the entire match.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” said Rinehart. “Similar to every game at state, the match will eventually go to the person that fights the hardest and stays the toughest. In sports, a lot of it is about grit and sticking in there until the very end.”
In the decisive fifth set, Northwest rallied from a 5-1 deficit and took a 14-12 lead on a kill by Katrina Pelds, capping a 4-0 run by the Wolves. But Centennial refused to go away.
Jaeden Pratt had a kill to ignite the Jaguars’ rally. Miller followed with another kill to tie it up, then had a huge block to give Centennial a 15-14 lead.
Setter Kambria Leazer then pounded a kill to end the match.
“I think we just wanted to prove to ourselves that we could beat that really great team and just get some positive momentum going into regionals and on our road to state, because we could possibly face them there,” Miller said.
Because No. 1 Dowling Catholic wrapped up the outright conference title with a sweep over Urbandale on Tuesday, there wasn’t much riding on the Centennial vs. Northwest match. The two teams will likely remain No. 2 and 3 in the final Class 5A rankings, which could set up a potential rematch in the state tournament semifinals.
“I hope we do (see them again),” Pratt said. “That would be fun.”
Rinehart said she thinks her team’s victory could give the Jaguars a mental edge over Northwest should the two squads meet again next month in Coralville.
“I think losing it would have been more detrimental for the upcoming couple of weeks,” she said. “So I am glad that we pulled out the win, and I’m glad that the girls put themselves in some tough situations and were able to figure out how to pull out of them. They’ve gotten experience in a lot of areas the last two weeks that hopefully will help them down the stretch.”
Tuesday’s match featured some dramatic momentum swings. The Jaguars had two match points in Set 3, but were unable to complete the sweep as Northwest came storming back.
“We knew this game was going to be tough,” Pratt said. “They’re ranked No. 3 for a reason, and they have a strong group of seniors that really lead them. They’re a really good blocking team, and they’ve come together. I think just battling with them was good for us going into the tournament.”
The Wolves led almost the entire way in Set 1 before Centennial scored the last four points to secure the victory. The Jaguars overcame an early 8-2 deficit.
There were 18 ties and seven lead changes in Set 2. Neither team led by more than two points until Centennial closed out the set with a 6-1 run, capped off by an ace from Addie Pollock.
The Jaguars survived a scare on the second point of the third set, when Pratt fell into the stands while trying to save the ball on a kill by Northwest’s Logan Vogt.
“My hand got stuck in the bleachers, and I wasn’t sure if I could get it out,” Pratt said after the match. “But it’s all good now.”
The Wolves built a 12-7 lead before Centennial answered with a 9-2 run. Northwest eventually regained a 24-22 advantage, but the Jaguars fought off two set points on back-to-back kills by Anna Sash.
Centennial had two match points following a pair of kills by Miller, but each time the Wolves responded. They then scored three straight points to close out the set.
Riding that momentum, Northwest then jumped out to an 8-0 lead in Set 4. The Wolves eventually closed out the set on a kill by Chloe Jones to even the match.
“I think when we didn’t close it out in the third set, we had a little disappointment,” Rinehart said. “Understandably, we felt like we had the game. Then we blew a few things, and that disappointment carried into the next game, which was hard to see. But, we shook it enough to go get game 5.”
Miller had two kills and a block as Centennial scored five of the first six points in the do-or-die fifth set.
“It felt amazing, especially because we almost felt defeated a little bit in that fourth set, but then we just rallied for our seniors,” Miller said. “It was just a great feeling coming back for them.”
Northwest used an 8-3 run to erase the Jaguars’ 9-6 lead, but Centennial then made one final push to end the marathon match.
“We just had to block and play defense when you’re serving, and we did,” Rinehart said. “We made some good defensive plays on our end, and AP (Pollock) came in and served super tough. And you got a fight.”
Miller finished with 20 kills, eight blocks and 16 digs. Sash contributed 15 kills and nine blocks while hitting .316 on the night.
Pratt added 11 kills and 15 digs. Leazer dished out 51 assists and also had 16 digs.
Ava Kronenberg chipped in five blocks, while Mya Lei-Butters racked up 28 digs. Pollock completed all 23 of her serves and had two aces.
