The Ankeny volleyball team celebrated its Senior Night on Tuesday with a convincing sweep.
The sixth-ranked Hawkettes closed out the regular season by cruising to a 25-8, 25-16, 25-5 victory over visiting Urbandale.
“It was a fantastic night to celebrate our seniors against an opponent we are familiar with,” said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke, who coached at Urbandale for 23 years before taking over the Hawkettes’ program in 2023. “It definitely was a balance of playing well, being in a good rhythm and paying tribute to our seniors that have contributed the last five years to this program.”
The win was Ankeny’s fourth in a row and allowed the Hawkettes to wrap up a fourth-place finish in the CIML Conference. They finished 5-3 in the league and improved to 25-8 overall, while Urbandale’s records dropped to 0-7 and 2-29.
Elle Isaacson had 10 kills to lead Ankeny, which had just 13 hitting errors as a team while posting a .337 hitting efficiency. Hailey Wiederin contributed nine kills and five blocks, while Maliya Cobb added eight kills.
Miya Steinkamp dished out 17 assists for the Hawkettes, while Gwyn Christensen chipped in 14. Steinkamp recently surpassed the 1,000-assist career mark.
Hailey Flanders racked up 13 digs in the win. Quinn Roush had four blocks.
Madi Anselme completed all 16 of her serves and had three aces. Marlee Ellison went 15-of-15 from behind the line and added a pair of aces.
“It was a complete team effort,” Baethke said. “A huge shoutout to our 10 senior volleyball players!”
Ankeny will host Des Moines Lincoln (4-20) or Marshalltown (13-17) in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.