Junior libero Mya Lei-Butters has helped the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team to a 9-2 record and a No. 2 ranking in Class 5A. The Jaguars won all four of their matches on Saturday in the Little Hawk Invitational at Iowa City High to win the tournament for the fourth straight year.
On Tuesday, Centennial rallied for a dramatic five-set victory over defending Class 5A state champion Waukee Northwest. The Jaguars scored the final eight points of the match to post a 25-20, 25-17, 16-25, 21-25, 16-14 triumph in the CIML Conference opener for both teams.
Lei-Butters finished with 15 digs and five assists in the win. She also completed all 11 of her serves.
Here is some inside info on Lei-Butters:
Congratulations on the win over Waukee Northwest. Is that the craziest finish to a volleyball match that you’ve ever experienced?
That is definitely one of the craziest matches I have been a part of.
What was going through your mind when your team trailed, 14-8, in Set 5? Did you think there was any way that you could come back?
In the back of my mind I knew there was still a chance that we could come back, but I knew we would have to play clean and stay aggressive on our side.
Your team has shown a remarkable ability to come from behind, because you also overcame a 2-0 deficit to win your season opener at then-No. 6 Indianola on Aug. 26. Do you think that win over the Indians gave you the confidence on Tuesday that you could battle back when you were down?
I do think that the Indianola match helped prepare us for this game and gave our team confidence that we could come back even when we were down by that much.
Your teammate, Delaney Miller, kind of took over down the stretch. She was already a leader for the team, but do you think she raised her game to an even higher level during that rally?
I do think Delaney played such a big role and especially at the end she was unstoppable. She is the reason why our team was able to pull through the fifth set. Without her determination and grit from the service line, I don’t know if we would have had the same result.
Your team then went 4-0 in the Iowa City High tournament on Saturday. What did you think of your team’s performance there?
I think our team did really well on Saturday. I think we ended that tournament playing very clean along with playing the best volleyball we have yet.
You are one of four returning varsity regulars from last year’s squad that went 31-7 and reached the Class 5A semifinals for the second year in a row. What do you think were the team’s biggest question marks coming into the season?
I think our team’s biggest question was how far can we go? We know we are a good team, and we do know that we can go the distance.
Do you feel like your newcomers to the regular rotation have adapted well to playing at this level?
I think all the newcomers have adapted so well. I feel like we are so close on and off the court. Also, playing against each other (in practice) has pushed us to get to that level.
Your team has already played many of the top teams in Class 5A, including preseason No. 1 Pleasant Valley, current No. 1 Dowling Catholic, Indianola and Waukee Northwest. Who do you think will be the team to beat this season, or do you think the state tournament could be pretty wide open?
I think the state tournament will be pretty wide open. I think there are a lot of great teams, and any of them can rise to the occasion.
Your team lost to Dowling in the semifinals of the Centennial Invitational on Aug. 31, and the Maroons went on to fall to Ankeny Christian Academy in the title match. How surprised were you that the Eagles won the tournament?
I was surprised with ACA winning, but at the end of the day anyone can beat anyone and it just depends who shows out that day.
I’m sure you’d like to play volleyball in college. Have you looked at any schools yet, and do you know what you want to study?
I have been looking at schools for volleyball, and I’m still exploring for what I’m interested in and what I’m specifically looking for in a program. I plan on majoring in business in college.
