The Ankeny volleyball team dropped two sets along the way, but still managed to win the championship of the Waverly-Shell Rock Invitational on Saturday.
The third-ranked Hawkettes posted a 25-20, 24-26, 15-9 victory in the title match over Denver, the No. 1 team in Class 2A. They extended their winning streak to seven matches while improving to 32-4 on the season.
Denver lost for only the third time in 39 matches.
“We saw some decent competition, but we have several kids dealing with illness,” said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke. “They had to dig deep, but they found a way to overcome it. I am very proud of the effort each player brought to the day.”
Ankeny won its third tournament crown in the last five weeks. The Hawkettes also won the Marj White Classic on Sept. 7 at Valley and the Waukee Invitational on Sept. 21.
Ankeny advanced to the championship match with a 21-16, 21-14 semifinal win over Nevada, the No. 15 team in Class 3A. The Cubs dropped to 25-8 on the season.
The Hawkettes posted a 21-16, 21-17 victory over AGWSR in the quarterfinals after going 3-0 during pool play.
Ankeny opened the tournament with a 21-12, 21-10 win over Class 1A No. 6 Janesville. The Hawkettes followed with a 21-13, 21-11 triumph over New Hampton.
In its third match of the day, Ankeny rallied for a 15-21, 21-9, 15-10 victory over Norwalk. The Warriors (19-12) are the No. 11 team in Class 4A.
Ankeny will travel to Waukee Northwest on Tuesday for a CIML Conference match against the No. 6 Wolves (21-7), who lost to No. 1 Ankeny Centennial in the final of the Urbandale Invitational on Saturday. The Hawkettes already own two victories over Northwest.
Ankeny can pull into a second-place tie in the conference with the Wolves by beating them for a third time.