All three of Ankeny’s highly-ranked volleyball teams reached the semifinals of the Ankeny Centennial Invitational on Saturday.
In the end, the smallest school emerged as the winner of the tournament.
Top-ranked Ankeny Christian Academy, the two-time defending state champion in Class 1A, posted a 25-18, 21-25, 15-13 victory over Dowling Catholic in the final. The Maroons are ranked second in Class 5A.
“I think we surprised some (teams), yet gained respect from others,” said ACA coach Michele Quick, whose squad is now 7-2 on the season. “We have gotten an overwhelming amount of support and congratulations after (the tournament), and we are so thankful for all the kind words!”
Carley Craighead pounded 16 kills in the Eagles’ win. Macey Nehring had nine kills, and Anna Weathers added six more.
Katie Quick dished out 28 assists and now ranks second in the entire state with 200 assists on the season. Morgan Fincham chipped in a pair of aces.
“Going into the tournament, I knew we would be up against our biggest challenges to date in this stacked tournament,” Quick said. “We tried a few new rotations which allowed us to get some of our defensive players into these high-level matches early on, but really our core of the five seniors–Anna, Carley, Macey, Katie and Morgan–really took charge from start to finish. They were connected, determined and in control.”
Sophomore Katelyn Weathers, who contributed 10 digs, and freshman Breeze Bentz also made some clutch plays for the Eagles.
“A couple of our young players came through for us,” Quick said. “Katelyn really stepped into her role and came up with some big plays in the championship, and Breeze meshed well with this group staying focused and ready when needed.”
ACA advanced to the title match with a 27-25, 22-25, 15-12 win over No. 5 Ankeny in the semifinals. The win avenged Tuesday’s loss to the Hawkettes at the Ankeny Quadrangular.
“It was a tough tournament, and overall I was pleased with the results,” said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke, whose team is now 7-1. “ACA did a great job sticking to their strengths and game plan. They’re an incredibly cohesive group. I love that they compete for every point and back down to no one.”
Craighead had 18 kills for the Eagles, Anna Weathers chipped in 12, and Nehring added nine. Quick racked up 40 assists and had four of her team’s 13 aces.
“Our motto this year is ALL IN–which holds a lot of meaning,” Quick said. “ALL IN with our hearts connected to God and thankful for gifts that have been given to these ladies, ALL IN for each other, ALL IN to compete and ALL IN with focus on our season goal.”
Maya Ridgeway and Kamryn Scheib each had 12 kills to lead Ankeny. Miya Steinkamp dished out 24 assists, and Baileigh Carlsen added eight digs.
Reagan Hanfelt contributed 10 kills and three blocks. She now leads the state with 27 blocks.
No. 3 Centennial, meanwhile, also fell in the semifinals. The Jaguars dropped a 25-21, 25-14 decision to Dowling.
“This tournament is always a great barometer for where we are at early on and what we need to work on moving forward,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart, whose team is now 4-2. “With new setters and middles on the court, it takes time to find those connections. It was already improved from Monday’s match (at Indianola) and will continue to improve and open things up for everyone as the season progresses.”
Delaney Miller had seven kills in the Jaguars’ loss. Maegen Cheeseman racked up 10 assists.
A total of 16 teams competed in the tournament. Ankeny won its pool with a 3-0 mark, capped off by a 21-13, 21-8 win over No. 4 Cedar Falls.
The Hawkettes opened pool play with a 23-21, 21-11 victory over Dike-New Hartford, the No. 6 team in Class 2A. They then rallied for a 17-21, 21-19, 15-13 triumph over Sioux City East.
In the quarterfinals, Ankeny posted a 25-11, 23-25, 15-9 win over No. 9 Waukee Northwest. Olivia Eike led the Hawkettes with 11 kills, Marlee Ellison had eight more, and Gracyn Adams dished out 17 assists.
“We have been trying to approach each match with consistent energy and confidence,” Baethke said. “It felt like we had to scrap our way out of pool play. We didn’t have drastic highs and lows, but we still have so much to work on.”
Both ACA and Centennial went 2-1 during pool play. After opening the day with a 21-9, 21-8 win over No. 13 Bettendorf, the Jaguars dropped a 23-21, 15-21, 16-14 decision to No. 12 Waukee.
Centennial completed pool play with a 21-8, 21-11 victory over No. 7 Iowa City Liberty. The Jaguars then knocked off No. 1 Pleasant Valley, 25-20, 25-22, in the quarterfinals.
“I thought there were some great things that happened on our end,” Rinehart said. “We had solid wins against Liberty and Bettendorf and a big win against PV. I was really proud of our fight and adjustments that we made in the PV match. It was the best match we have played thus far.”
Jaeden Pratt had seven kills against the Spartans. Mya Lei-Butters racked up eight digs, and Miller added two aces.
“Mya and Delaney both served great on the day,” Rinehart said.
The Eagles, meanwhile, posted wins over No. 11 Valley (21-13, 16-21, 15-11) and Class 4A No. 10 Norwalk (21-15, 21-13) before losing a close match to Pleasant Valley (21-19, 21-18).
ACA then rebounded to beat Waukee, 21-19, 21-18, in the quarterfinals. Craighead had 10 kills for the Eagles, while Quick added 17 assists and four aces.
Coach Quick said the Eagles are missing the presence of former Ankeny Fanatic photographer Drue Wolfe, who passed away this summer.
“Our program has had such a heavy heart this season knowing Drue will not be on the sidelines supporting us as he captured so much more than action shots; he was such a huge part of the athletic community and we will miss him dearly this season,” she said. “As a tribute and memory of Drue, we had ribbons made and wear them on our court shoes to keep him in our hearts and memories as his gift will be in our memories forever.”
Both Ankeny and Centennial will be back in action on Tuesday. The Jaguars will host Waukee Northwest, while the Hawkettes will play at Valley. It will be the CIML Conference opener for both teams.
