Monday’s Jag-Hawk rematch in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state volleyball tournament lived up to the pre-match hype.
Second-ranked Ankeny Centennial held off a furious rally by No. 7 Ankeny to post a 25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 14-25, 15-12 victory at the Xtream Arena in Coralville. The Jaguars (31-6) will play No. 3 Waukee Northwest or No. 6 Cedar Falls in Wednesday’s semifinals.
The Hawkettes (24-15) fought off five match points in Set 5 before Anna Sash delivered the final dagger for Centennial with her ninth kill of the day. Sash earlier had three kills and a block to ignite a 7-0 run that gave the Jaguars a 12-4 lead.
“It’s incredible,” said Sash, who also contributed 12 blocks. “That was a tough match. Ankeny put up a good fight, but I’m glad that we came out on top.”
The Jaguars outhit Ankeny by a .197 to .160 margin while defeating their crosstown rival for the third time this season. They also won a five-set match against the Hawkettes on Oct. 3.
Delaney Miller led Centennial with 16 kills. Jaeden Pratt chipped in 10, and Kambria Leazer dished out 39 assists. Mya Lei-Butters racked up 26 digs.
Reagan Hanfelt paced Ankeny with 16 kills, six blocks and three aces. She provided a much-needed spark for the Hawkettes in Set 3, when she blasted a kill to tie the score at 13-13 and then followed with back-to-back blocks to put her team ahead.
Kamryn Scheib had 14 kills, while Cloey Wiederin added three aces. Baileigh Carlsen finished with 25 digs.
Check back later for complete coverage of the match.
