(Story by Stephen McDaniel)
Ankeny Centennial volleyball’s aspirations for postseason play takes the Jaguars well beyond just the regional bracket.
But all good postseason runs start by hitting the ground running.
The second-ranked Jaguars used a couple big runs to help sweep visiting Cedar Rapids Jefferson (25-8, 25-10, 25-9) in three sets in Thursday’s Class 5A regional semifinal, putting them one more win away from returning to state.
“We don’t want to be done yet,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart. “We’d been off for a while, so it was nice to get back in and play a real match instead of just in practice against each other. It was a good start to the postseason run.”
Centennial (31-5) experienced a pair of slower starts to the first two sets after coming off an eight-day stretch without any game action following its 3-0 sweep at Southeast Polk to close out the regular season on Oct. 14.
At no point in the night did the Jaguars ever fall behind Jefferson, but the J-Hawks were able to keep themselves in it against top-seeded Centennial.
Sophia Heither gave Centennial the first lead of the night behind one of her three kills, and the Jaguars were able to get a steady five-point lead over Jefferson midway through the set.
The second set started off with three consecutive aces by senior Maegan Cheeseman, and the J-Hawks were able to overcome the deficit by tying it back up at 5-5 before Tatem Schmidt immediately put her team back ahead.
“I thought we had control all the way through,” said Rinehart, whose team hit .348 on the night. “We did have a couple of slower starts, which we want to avoid. But I think at first it was just getting back into the swing of things, and I thought we did that well.”
Where the Jaguars were able to flex their muscles and put the sets away for good came with two massive runs to close things out.
Junior Ellie Pollock hammered one of her six kills of the night to put the Jaguars up 14-8 in the first set, and it sparked a run that saw Centennial record 12 unanswered points for a 25-8 victory.
Pollock, Cheeseman and Mady Ott combined for 12 of the 25 points with all of them contributing four kills.
“We were just not being scared, started swinging away, trusting each other, serving tough and passing really well,” Cheeseman said.
Schmidt’s kill early in the second set sparked a 6-1 run that gave the Jaguars a bit of a cushion, but it was a kill later in the set by sophomore Kaelyn Rinehart that started the huge run that let Centennial slam the door shut.
Rinehart recorded all four of her kills in the second set, and three of them came in the eventual 12-1 run Centennial went on to turn a 13-9 lead into a 25-10 victory that was capped off by junior Kenlie Erickson’s lone kill of the night.
The Jaguars flipped the script in the third and final set with the quartet of Schmidt, Pollock, Ott and Cheeseman helping guide them to a 15-4 run to open things up.
“The weekend we had at Jefferson’s tournament was a big confidence booster for us in terms of the level that we can play at,” Rinehart said. “So that’s what we’re striving for, but I think we can feel confident going into the regional final as long as we step on the court and play our best ball.”
A kill from Schmidt ignited a 7-0 run late in the set to extend the margin to 23-7.
One of the most anticipated kills of the night closed out that run when senior defensive specialist Nora Bockes was able to land her first and only kill of the night. It was just Bockes’ third kill of the season.
Bailey Snyder and Ott took the liberty of ending things with a pair of kills to clinch the sweep over the J-Hawks, who finished the season at 9-28.
The Jaguars saw 11 different players contribute to their 44 total kills on the night. Schmidt led the way with 10 kills, while Cheeseman had nine and Ott chipped in seven.
Schmidt also had four blocks, Mya Lei-Butters racked up 14 digs, and Cheeseman had six of the team’s 11 aces.
“I felt really good, and it was really fun,” Cheeseman said after also dishing out 16 assists. “I think everybody played really well, and it’s always a great night when that happens.”
Centennial will take a nine-match winning streak into Tuesday’s regional final at home against CIML rival Southeast Polk (14-16). The Rams advanced with a 3-1 victory over Linn-Mar (Marion).
The Jaguars racked up 43 kills in the 25-10, 25-15, 25-15 win at Southeast Polk just 10 days ago. The path to success is clear, and it’s as simple as just continuing to play the brand of volleyball that has led them to their No. 2 ranking.
“We’re pretty confident,” Cheeseman said. “We just have to come out and play the Jag way, remember our goals and just play as a team.”
