The fourth-ranked Ankeny volleyball team was hoping to get another shot at No. 2 Waukee in the Waukee Invitational on Saturday.
The opportunity never came.
The Hawkettes reached the semifinals of the tournament before dropping a 25-20, 25-23 decision to Indianola. It was their first loss to an unranked opponent this season.
“Indianola played really well, and their determination on defense was definitely a big factor,” said Ankeny setter Miya Steinkamp.
The Indians improved to 7-11 on the season. Ankeny’s record dropped to 19-6.
It marked the third time this season that the Hawkettes lost in the semifinals of a weekend tournament.
“We are definitely disappointed with how Saturday ended for us, but we are excited for a challenging week ahead,” Steinkamp said.
Ankeny got off to a slow start in its opening match against Des Moines Christian (7-13) during pool play, but overcame a one-set deficit to post a 19-21, 21-10, 15-12 victory. The Hawkettes then rolled to a 21-8, 21-4 triumph over Des Moines Roosevelt (8-8) to win Pool A.
“I thought we played pretty solid overall,” Steinkamp said. “We competed well in the morning and had many good moments.”
Ankeny followed with a 25-13, 25-5 win over Carlisle (3-11) in the quarterfinals. The Hawkettes were just one victory away from a trip to the finals and a potential rematch against Waukee, which posted a five-set win at Ankeny on Sept. 9 to avenge a quarterfinal loss at the Ankeny Centennial Early Bird Invitational on Aug. 30.
But Indianola spoiled those plans, putting an end to the Hawkettes’ bid for a fourth straight Waukee title.
Ankeny will travel to Southeast Polk on Tuesday to face the Rams (5-10) before heading to Centennial on Thursday for another CIML Conference match against the No. 3 Jaguars (17-3), who won an earlier meeting in the semifinals of their tournament.
“We are definitely excited to have a rematch against them,” Steinkamp said. “It’s going to be a good test and always a fun, state-like environment to play in.”