For the second Saturday in a row, the Ankeny volleyball team traveled to eastern Iowa for a tournament featuring several ranked squads.
The fourth-ranked Hawkettes went 4-1 in the Caroline Found Invitational at Iowa City West, where they lost only to Clear Creek Amana in the de facto championship match. The Clippers (18-1), the No. 1 team in Class 4A, posted a 21-16, 21-11 victory.
“Considering we played (five top-10 teams), pretty much back-to-back, I was happy with the day,” said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke, whose team is now 15-5 on the season.
Ankeny won a pair of close matches during Pool B play. The Hawkettes defeated Class 4A No. 3 North Scott (21-16, 21-19) and No. 7 Iowa City Liberty (21-18, 21-17).
Ankeny advanced to the championship bracket along with three other teams–No. 5 Iowa City West, Clear Creek Amana and Class 3A No. 3 Mid-Prairie. The four pool winners then played each other in a round-robin format.
Ankeny rallied for a 17-21, 21-10, 15-12 win over Iowa City West (11-2). The Hawkettes hit .218 overall.
Marlee Ellison racked up 11 kills against the Trojans, who lost their leading attacker, Sophia Austin, to a knee injury during the match. Hailey Wiederin added eight kills, while Miya Steinkamp and Gwyn Christensen dished out 16 and 11 assists, respectively.
Quinn Roush led the defense with three blocks, and Hailey Flanders had four of the team’s nine aces. Flanders and Madi Anselme each had 10 digs.
Then, in the loss to Clear Creek Amana, Wiederin led Ankeny with six kills. Ellison and Elle Isaacson each had four.
Steinkamp finished with nine assists. Anselme completed all eight of her serves and had one of the team’s four aces.
Roush had two blocks. Flanders chipped in nine digs.
Clear Creek Amana has won 35 straight sets since dropping its second match of the season on Aug. 30 against Cedar Rapids Xavier, which is now unranked.
“That loss helped immensely,” CCA coach Jackie Clubb told The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette. “We don’t have to worry about being undefeated.”
The Hawkettes then rebounded with a 21-17, 15-21, 15-12 win over Mid-Prairie. Isaacson led the way with seven kills, while Wiederin had six kills and five blocks.
Steinkamp had 15 assists in the victory. Christensen added eight.
Roush and Raquel Risk each recorded five blocks. Anselme had 17 digs and a pair of aces.
Ankeny will play a CIML Conference match at No. 11 Johnston on Tuesday. The Dragons are 1-2 in the league and 7-8 overall.