The Ankeny volleyball team didn’t waste much time advancing to the final round of regional play.
The sixth-ranked Hawkettes scored the first eight points of the match and went on to defeat visiting Marshalltown, 25-11, 25-10, 25-7, in a Class 5A regional semifinal on Thursday. They hit .429 on the night and racked up 10 aces while completing 73-of-74 serves (98.6 percent).
“It feels great,” said Ankeny junior Marlee Ellison, who led the Hawkettes with 11 kills and four aces. “We’ve been working really hard in practice and really improving.”
It was the fifth straight win for Ankeny, which improved to 26-8 on the season. The Bobcats finished with a 15-20 record.
“We just really wanted to stay disciplined and not take plays off,” said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke. “I was really proud of the kids for staying in rhythm. We executed and had fun. I think there’s always just a different vibe when we hit the postseason. It’s really important to just capitalize on our strengths and dig into those weaknesses and make sure that we’re playing clean, coming out with the ‘W’ and winning the day.”
The Hawkettes got off to the fast start behind the serving of Miya Steinkamp and never looked back. They eventually closed out the first set on a Marshalltown hitting error.
In Set 2, Ankeny took an early 3-0 lead and gradually pulled away. The Hawkettes finished off the set with a 6-0 run, capped by a kill from Ellison.
“We watched some film on (Marshalltown),” Ellison said. “We made a game plan, and we really stuck to that.”
In Set 3, Ankeny broke a 3-3 tie with a 6-0 run that included an ace by Hailey Flanders. After Marshalltown answered with three straight points, the Hawkettes then won 16 of the next 17 points to close out the match.
Ellison served the final 10 points to finish it off.
“We’re just taking it game by game,” Ellison said. “We’re just focusing on what’s ahead of us before we get too far.”
Ankeny had more than a week to prepare for the match after completing the regular season on Oct. 14 with a sweep over Urbandale.
“We drilled with a few area teams–not just a scrimmage but we went head-to-head with 6v6,” Baethke said. “It was higher tempo and higher intensity just to prepare us for down the road and making sure that we’re staying together and becoming more cohesive, and that’s only going to pay off in the end.”
The Hawkettes will host Cedar Rapids Kennedy (25-17) in the regional final on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Cougars advanced with a 25-22, 20-25, 25-14, 24-26, 15-13 victory at Waterloo West.
The preparation for Waterloo West might have been a little easier, since Ankeny owns a pair of wins over the Wahawks.
“We know (West) is a very good team, so we’ll just have to work really hard in practice this week and focus on beating (Kennedy),” Ellison said. “Just take it point by point and play by play.”
Kennedy is 10-4 since Oct. 4, when it began the month with a victory over Class 4A No. 1 Clear Creek Amana, handing the Clippers one of their three losses. The Hawkettes lost to Clear Creek Amana at the Iowa City West tournament on Sept. 13.
“Kennedy is an interesting dynamic,” Baethke said. “They snapped Clear Creek’s 26-match winning streak a few Saturdays ago, so I know they’re capable of having some good days. It’s just a matter of putting it together. I’m anxious to get the film and have a look at them.”
