A year ago, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team posted an undefeated 8-0 record to win the title in the CIML Conference–arguably the best league from top to bottom in the state.
It was an amazing accomplishment for the Jaguars, but unfortunately they fell short of their ultimate goal. They finished with a 32-5 overall mark after losing in the Class 5A semifinals for the third consecutive year, falling to conference rival Waukee Northwest in a five-set thriller.
Now, Centennial is looking to get over that semifinal hump. The Jaguars return eight varsity regulars, led by senior all-stater Mya Lei-Butters.
“I believe this team is capable of big things this season,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart, whose team is fourth in Class 5A in the preseason rankings from the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union. . “It will be more of a full team approach and consistent effort and execution out of every position to be able to make a positive impact in practices and matches. I believe defense both from a blocking and backcourt perspective will be one of our biggest strengths. We feel if we can get quality touches and keep balls alive we will be able to frustrate opponents as well as earn more opportunities to put the ball away.”
Lei-Butters, a libero, led the Jaguars with 367 digs. She placed second on the team with 38 aces.
Lei-Butters was named to the Class 5A third team and to the Class 5A West all-district squad by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association. She was a repeat pick to the CIML Conference second team after just missing first-team honors.
“Having a three-year returning libero makes things run really smoothly from the backcourt, and Mya has done a great job taking up a lot of court on serve receive and keeping us in system,” Rinehart said.
Three other all-conference players are back. They are senior setter Maegan Cheeseman, senior setter/right-side hitter Tatem Schmidt and senior middle hitter Mady Ott.
Cheeseman led the Jaguars with 625 assists. She contributed 169 digs and 23 aces.
Cheeseman was also an effective hitter, producing 26 kills while posting a .259 hitting percentage. She joined Lei-Butters on the all-conference second team.
Schmidt placed third on the team with 140 kills while hitting at a .251 clip. She also placed third on the squad with 28 aces.
Schmidt racked up 348 assists and finished fourth on the team with 242 digs. She was a third-team all-conference pick.
Ott had 103 kills and placed third on the team with 41 blocks. She earned all-conference honorable mention.
Junior middle hitters Sophia Heither and Sidney Rogers are also back along with a pair of defensive specialists in senior Nora Bockes and junior Ellie Pollock.
Heither led the Jaguars with 60 blocks. She placed fourth on the squad with 133 kills while posting a team-high .326 hitting percentage.
Pollock had 59 digs and 17 aces, while Bockes contributed 10 digs and five aces. Rogers added 28 kills and 13 blocks.
“The experience we have returning has been huge,” Rinehart said. “Having setters with a year under their belt, in addition to returning middles has made that connection really solid and fun this summer. Ellie, Nora and Sidney have all contributed in big ways throughout the summer and Bailey Snyder, Adi Reyes and Kaelyn Rinehart are all expected to contribute to the core of returning players.”
The Jaguars will open the season on Monday by hosting a non-conference match against Indianola. They will then host the Centennial Invitational on Saturday.
“The practices throughout the summer and preseason have been going great!” Rinehart said. “Our energy has been high, the girls have been working extremely hard, and have brought a lot of focus. We had a lot of success at both the Creighton and Iowa State team camps, which is usually a good indication of the level we are capable of competing at.
“I do feel this team has a ton of potential. The keys to reaching that ceiling will be the same keys as all of our most successful seasons–working hard without the ball, understanding and embracing our roles, sticking together through the hard, staying healthy and overall just having fun day in and day out and embracing the opportunity to be a part of something special.
“I’m super excited to see what this team can do and the level we can reach,” she added.