It took only three days for the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team to drastically close the gap on top-ranked Waukee Northwest.
After being swept by Northwest in the championship match of the Centennial Early Bird Invitational on Saturday, the No. 4 Jaguars traveled to Waukee on Tuesday for a rematch and took the unbeaten Wolves to a fifth set before dropping a 25-17, 25-21, 23-25, 22-25, 16-14 decision in the CIML Conference opener for both teams.
“I thought we battled hard,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart. “We increased our tempo after the first two sets, and that really helped. I was really proud of how our bench came in and made a positive impact on the match.”
The Jaguars rallied from a 7-2 deficit in Set 5 to tie the score at 14-14, fighting off two match points. But Northwest then got back-to-back kills from Avery Cordes to seal the victory.
“We worked really hard in practice,” said Centennial senior Tatem Schmidt, who led the Jaguars with 11 kills. “We worked on our blocking. We just fell a few points short, but we’ll get them the next time we see them.”
Piper Ladwig and Logan Vogt each had 18 kills for Northwest, which outhit Centennial by a .256 to .183 margin. Cordes added 14 kills and Avery Vogt dished out 53 assists for the Wolves, who are now 7-0 on the season.
The Jaguars dropped to 6-2 overall.
“I think we’re capable of a lot more than this,” said Centennial junior Ellie Pollock, who finished with four kills and 13 digs. “We did not play our best tonight, and we’ve seen our best. And the way that we’re just going to keep on improving throughout the season, I have really high hopes for what we can accomplish.”
The Jaguars won two of three meetings against Northwest during the 2024 regular season before the Wolves outlasted Centennial in five sets in the Class 5A semifinals. Tuesday’s match evoked memories of the matchup at the state tournament, where Northwest also jumped out to a 2-0 lead and then held off its rival’s rally.
“After the second set, we all came together and we were like, ‘This isn’t us.’ We weren’t playing well the first two sets,” Schmidt said. “We weren’t playing Jaguar volleyball. But we came together and said we just have to have fun. Play for each other and just be us.”
Centennial never trailed in Set 3. The Jaguars jumped out to an early 7-2 lead and eventually took a 24-20 advantage on a kill by Schmidt.
After the Wolves fought off three set points, Centennial won the set when a serve by Northwest’s London Taylor sailed long. That was one of 18 service errors by the Wolves, who connected on just 92-of-110 attempts in the match (83.6 percent).
There were nine ties in Set 4 before Northwest gradually pulled away to an 18-15 lead. Then, Schmidt had a pair of kills to ignite a 7-0 run that put the Jaguars ahead, then later added another one to close out the set.
“I really like the energy our team carries on the court,” Rinehart said. “I think it helps us weather the storms that come in volleyball.”
Maegan Cheeseman had 22 assists, four blocks and 10 digs for the Jaguars. Schmidt added 11 assists and three blocks.
“We just fell a little short, but that happens sometimes,” Schmidt said.
Sophia Heither had seven kills and a team-high five blocks in the loss. Fellow middle hitter Sidney Rogers had five kills and hit .571 on the night.
Libero Mya Lei-Butters racked up 23 digs, while Kaelyn Rinehart completed 22-of-23 serves (95.7 percent). Cheeseman, Lei-Butters and Rinehart each had a pair of aces.
“I think it really helped having a scouting report, and we know that Jess is always going to be ready for us with the scouting reports,” Pollock said. “The way that we had fresh legs coming into today rather than facing Dowling and Ankeny right before we played (Northwest) really helped.”
Centennial will compete in the Little Hawk Invitational on Saturday at Iowa City High. The Jaguars are seeking their fifth straight title.
“Overall, I am super pleased with the way we competed and excited to get back in the gym and keep building,” Rinehart said.
