The state volleyball tournament gets under way on Monday at the Xtream Arena in Coralville.
We already know that at least one team from Ankeny will advance to the Class 5A semifinals on Wednesday. Ankeny will face Ankeny Centennial in one of the four quarterfinal matchups.
The tournament kicks off at noon on Court One, where Dowling Catholic will meet Valley in another crosstown battle. The Jag-Hawk matchup will begin 25 minutes later on Court Two. Two more CIML Conference teams are in the field, creating the possibility of an all-CIML Final Four.
The top eight teams in the final Class 5A rankings all qualified for the state tournament. If the rankings continue to hold up true to form, then Centennial would meet Dowling in the championship match on Thursday at 10 a.m.
Will there be any upsets? Ankeny Fanatic is predicting that at least one of the lower seeds will pull off a surprise at some point. (See below for my entire bracket.)
For now, though, let’s break down Monday’s slate of matches. Here are Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the quarterfinals:
No. 1 Dowling Catholic (30-7) vs. No. 8 Valley (19-15): This is the third meeting between the two teams. The Maroons swept Valley in a conference match on Aug. 29, but the Tigers then swept Dowling while winning their Marj White Classic four days later. Valley is perhaps the most enigmatic team in the state. The Tigers can beat any opponent on a given day, but with 15 losses they have also shown that they can lose to just about anyone. Last year, Valley stunned Ankeny in the quarterfinals before being swept by Pleasant Valley in the semifinals. Dowling is led by Mackenzie Dean, who ranks second in Class 5A with 429 kills. From the matches I’ve seen this season, she has been the most dominant player in Class 5A. The Maroons are seeking their first state championship, and they have been the most consistent team in Class 5A all season. Their postseason run won’t end with a loss to their crosstown rival. Prediction: Dowling in four sets.
No. 4 Pleasant Valley (27-5) vs. No. 5 Johnston (32-6): The Dragons went just 4-4 in the conference, but they are the hottest team in Class 5A–they have won 19 straight matches since losing to Centennial in four sets on Sept. 26. Johnston setter Jadeyn Pundt ranks fourth in the entire state with 1,003 assists. Teammate Ava Helming leads Class 5A with 458 kills and also ranks third in aces with 64. The Spartans, meanwhile, have been a perennial contender. They won the Class 5A crown in 2021 before losing to Iowa City Liberty in last year’s final. Two of Pleasant Valley’s losses came to Dike-New Hartford, the No. 1 team in Class 2A and perhaps the state’s best squad regardless of class. But the Spartans also lost to Ankeny at the Centennial Invitational on Aug. 26. There’s no doubt that the CIML is the best conference in the state, and I think we’ll see that on Monday. Prediction: Johnston in five sets.
No. 2 Ankeny Centennial (30-6) vs. No. 7 Ankeny (24-14): This marks the second time that the crosstown rivals have met in the quarterfinals. They also met in 2020, when the Hawkettes prevailed in four sets and went on to win their fifth state championship. The Jaguars won two earlier meetings this season, but needed to overcome a two-set deficit to win the conference match on Oct. 3. Centennial’s Delaney Miller ranks third in Class 5A with 405 kills. Teammate Kambria Leazer ranks fifth in Class 5A with 833 assists. Ankeny has battled injuries all season, but appears to be peaking at the right time. Baileigh Carlsen ranks second in Class 5A with 476 digs, while teammates Ava Wille and Reagan Hanfelt are third and tied for fifth in blocks with 101 and 94, respectively. Can the Hawkettes pull off the upset? I think they’ll push it to the limit again before Centennial emerges with another narrow victory. Prediction: Centennial in five sets.
No. 3 Waukee Northwest (24-9) vs. No. 6 Cedar Falls (34-6): The Wolves have already won two previous meetings. They beat Cedar Falls in three sets at the Centennial Invitational, then beat the Tigers again, 25-11, 25-21, in the finals of the Cedar Falls Invitational on Sept. 23. Northwest’s Katey Lockyear is one of the state’s most efficient servers. She has completed 99.7 percent of her attempts (314-of-315). The Wolves have several talented hitters, but they’ll be tested by Cedar Falls’ Grace Hannam–who is tied for second in the entire state with 125 blocks. Neither of these teams lost a set during regional play, but obviously something will have to give here. I think the CIML will once again show its strength. Prediction: Northwest in four sets.
