You can probably expect another close match when the Ankeny volleyball team hosts CIML Conference rival Dowling Catholic on Oct. 1.
There isn’t much of a gap, if any, between the two squads.
Second-ranked Ankeny advanced to the championship match of the Caroline Found Invitational on Saturday at Iowa City West before dropping a 25-15, 22-25, 15-9 decision to No. 3 Dowling.
The Maroons (16-4) avenged a 21-19, 19-21, 16-14 loss to Ankeny in the Marj White Classic on Sept. 7 at Valley.
“The outcome of the Dowling match wasn’t what we wanted, but the kids played well,” said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke, whose team is now 18-3 on the season. “That match definitely didn’t define our day. It feels like this matchup could go back and forth trading sets all season. The fact that both teams travel out of our area to play, but still meet in the finals, speaks to how incredibly talented our conference is across the board.”
Kaylie Klein and Ellie Muller each had 11 kills to lead Dowling, which also got 31 assists from Ella Rogers. The Maroons rebounded from a loss during pool play to Dubuque Wahlert, the No. 2 team in Class 3A.
Ankeny went 3-0 to win its pool. The Hawkettes posted victories over Class 3A No. 6 Mid-Prairie (21-16, 21-13), Class 4A No. 3 Clear Creek-Amana (21-16, 17-21, 15-11) and No. 12 Iowa City Liberty (21-17, 21-15).
Ankeny followed with a 25-11, 25-17 win over Iowa City Regina in the quarterfinals. Regina is the No. 15 team in Class 2A.
The Hawkettes then outlasted Wahlert in the semifinals, 25-20, 22-25, 16-14.
“Overall, I was really pleased with the consistency on our side of the court,” said Baethke, who earned her 700th career victory earlier this season. “We played some great competition, and we continue to make positive strides in all categories.”
Ankeny will host a conference match on Tuesday against No. 15 Johnston. The Dragons are 1-2 in the league and 5-5 overall.