With a trip to the state tournament on the line, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball players didn’t feel any pressure.
The Jaguars simply knew what they had to do.
Second-ranked Centennial rolled to a 25-17, 25-10, 25-15 victory over No. 15 Council Bluffs Lincoln in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday at Centennial. The Jaguars (30-6) advanced to the state tournament for the fourth straight year.
“Our team had a lot of confidence going into the match,” said Centennial junior Jaeden Pratt. “We knew what we had to do to get the job done. I believed that if we just played our ball the result would take care of itself.”
The Jaguars dominated the first two sets. Lincoln (22-20) jumped out to an early lead in Set 3, but Centennial eventually rallied.
Once the Jaguars took the lead, Lincoln was unable to respond.
“This group is super special and fighting with them and continuing to play is such a privilege,” said Centennial junior Delaney Miller. “It was a very fun match, and we came out with very high energy. Props to Council Bluffs and how they battled, but we knew that we needed to build momentum going into the state tournament and I think that we showed under pressure that we can control our side and come out on top.”
Lincoln was the last team to defeat Centennial in regional play in 2019. On Tuesday, the Jaguars showed right away that history was not going to repeat itself.
“I thought we came to play,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart. “The girls were focused, prepared and ready. We had all hitters going tonight which made us hard to defend. Our passers passed great, which enabled our offense to run from everywhere. Our plan was to keep their setter off the net, and I thought we did a great job with that. Overall, I was really impressed with what all 15 players brought to the night, and I’m excited they get to experience the ‘magic’ of state!”
Miller had 15 kills and 11 digs for Centennial, which hit .374 for the match. Pratt finished with nine kills and 12 digs, Anna Sash also had nine kills, Gabby Mixdorf chipped in seven, and Ava Kronenberg added six while hitting .545 on the night.
Setter Kambria Leazer dished out 41 assists and also had 10 digs. Libero Mya Lei-Butters racked up 12 digs.
The Jaguars were almost perfect from behind the serving line, going 73-of-74 for 98.6 percent. Brooklyn Conger and Addie Pollock each went 16-of-16.
The top eight teams in the final Class 5A rankings all qualified for the state tournament. The Jaguars will meet No. 7 Ankeny (24-14) in the quarterfinals on Monday at 12:25 p.m. at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
This will be the second time in four years that the crosstown rivals have met at the state tournament. Centennial lost to Ankeny in four sets in the 2020 quarterfinals.
“We’re ready to get back in the gym and prepare for the upcoming week!” Rinehart said.
The Jaguars won both meetings against Ankeny during the regular season. They posted a 25-23, 25-17 victory in the semifinals of the Centennial Invitational on Aug. 26, then overcame a two-set deficit to beat the Hawkettes in five sets on Oct. 3.
“Playing Ankeny is always an intense match,” Pratt said. “I think it will be good competition and a fun environment for both teams to play in. They are a solid team, and I’m excited to play them.”
