There may not be a more battle-tested volleyball team in the state than Ankeny Centennial.
The top-ranked Jaguars capped off a perfect run through the CIML Conference with a 25-11, 25-12, 25-16 victory over visiting Southeast Polk on Tuesday.
Centennial, which had already clinched the outright conference title, finished 8-0 in the league and improved to 29-4 overall. The Rams’ records dropped to 1-7 and 13-25.
“It felt great to close out the conference in three (sets) and to wrap up an undefeated conference season,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart. “As we know, this conference is a beast and I’m super proud of our team for going 8-0. That’s hard to do.”
The Jaguars defeated Southeast Polk for the second time in 11 days. On Oct. 5, they posted a 21-14, 21-13 win during pool play at the Urbandale Invitational.
In Tuesday’s rematch, Centennial pounded 42 kills while hitting .438 on the night. The Jaguars also racked up 11 aces while completing 71-of-74 serves (.959).
“What impressed me the most was the way in which we did it,” Rinehart said. “This group keeps finding ways to win and increasing their level of play.”
Delaney Miller enjoyed a spectacular match with 17 kills, 12 digs and two aces. She committed just one hitting error in 22 total attacks for a .727 hitting percentage.
Jaeden Pratt had 11 kills, two blocks, seven digs and four aces. Pratt and Miller were honored along with teammate Finley Greiner on Senior Night.
Mady Ott and Tatem Schmidt each added five kills. Schmidt hit .714 with no hitting errors in seven attacks and also dished out 17 assists, while Maegen Cheeseman had 14 assists.
Sophia Heither contributed two blocks, while Mya Lei-Butters had seven digs and three aces. Ellie Pollock chipped in six digs.
The Jaguars will have a week off before hosting Urbandale (2-28) or Des Moines East (5-18) in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.
“We’re excited to celebrate this, take a night off and then refocus and work super hard for the postseason,” Rinehart said.
