A year ago, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team opened its season by rallying for a dramatic five-set victory at Indianola.
Monday’s season opener against the Indians wasn’t as much of a nailbiter, but the fourth-ranked Jaguars still had to survive some tense moments on their home court.
Centennial bounced back from a loss in Set 2 to post a 25-17, 24-26, 25-19, 25-21 victory in the non-conference match.
“I thought it was good to come out with the ‘W’. The first home game, combined with the first full day of school, can be challenging,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart. “I was really happy with how connected we stayed, even when things weren’t going great. I thought our energy was consistent and positive throughout the match.”
Tatem Schmidt had 14 kills, 19 assists and two blocks to lead the Jaguars. Ellie Pollock added 12 kills and 13 digs.
Maegan Cheeseman dished out 25 assists and also had two blocks for Centennial, which hit .209 as a team in the win.
“We had different players at different times step up and make the play–when we needed it–which was great to see,” Rinehart said. “It was interesting in that things that had been our strength throughout the summer, middle/setter connection and blocking, we struggled with at times. It’s good to know that something can be ‘off’ and we can still find a way to get it done.”
Sophia Heither had 11 kills and a team-high six blocks in the victory. She had just one hitting error in 20 total attacks for a .500 hitting percentage.
Bailey Snyder added five kills, while Mya Lei-Butters racked up 25 digs and had two aces. Kaelyn Rinehart, the coach’s daughter, chipped in 11 digs and two aces in her varsity debut.
Nora Bockes completed all 13 of her serves for Centennial, which connected on 95-of-98 attempts as a team (96.9 percent).
“The match just really reiterated what we already knew going into the season, and that’s that it is going to take everyone locking in on their jobs for us to be successful,” Rinehart said. “Overall, I’m happy with our first night and excited to get back in the gym and to keep working!”
The Jaguars will host the Centennial Invitational on Saturday.
