Quinn Roush wasn’t a major part of the Ankeny volleyball team’s offensive attack during Monday’s Class 5A quarterfinals at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
But the junior middle hitter picked the perfect time to pound just her second kill of the day.
Roush put the ball down to give the sixth-ranked Hawkettes a thrilling five-set victory over No. 5 Dowling Catholic in a matchup of CIML Conference rivals and state tournament veterans. They won by scores of 18-25, 25-17, 17-25, 25-17, 15-11.
“It felt so good,” said Roush, whose only other kill came midway through Set 4. “It just felt so rewarding, and I’m so grateful that my setter (Miya Steinkamp) trusted me and just set me a perfect ball and I was just able to kill it.”
Ankeny is in the tournament for the eighth straight year, while the Maroons were making their 14th consecutive appearance. The Hawkettes (28-8) avenged a four-set loss at Dowling (18-12) on Sept. 30.
Ankeny had lost in the quarterfinals in each of the previous three seasons, including twice as the higher seed.
“It feels great to move on,” said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke. “And I don’t know a bunch that’s more deserving.”
The Hawkettes outhit Dowling by a .151 to .139 margin in a match that lasted nearly two hours. They overcame a 2-1 deficit by hitting .333 in Set 4 and .353 in Set 5 after struggling to a -.100 hitting efficiency in Set 3.
“Starting really fast (was the key) because in the third set we started a little slower, and I think in the fourth and fifth we really were determined,” Roush said. “We had our goals, we had our motivation, and we were just ready to go.”
Ankeny jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in Set 4 on a kill by Marlee Ellison and later extended the margin to 16-9 on a kill by Hailey Wiederin. Wiederin led the Hawkettes with 18 kills while hitting .275 for the match.
“We were just finding every open spot on the court,” said Wiederin. “We were working toward every single angle. Just working together as a team, being scrappy and letting it loose.”
Dowling closed the gap to 18-13 before another kill by Ellison ignited a 4-0 run that halted the Maroons’ rally. Elle Isaacson eventually smashed a kill to close out the set.
“I think we always knew if we kept pushing every point and playing with each other and for each other that we could finish it,” said Steinkamp, who finished with 25 assists. “Our passing was really great, and that set it up nice for our hitters to execute.”
In Set 5, Dowling took a 3-2 lead when a serve by Kaylie Klein deflected off the net but crawled over and fell to the floor. Kennedy Klein then followed with a kill to make it 4-2.
However, a kill by Wiederin sparked an Ankeny rally. The Hawkettes scored the next six points, including a go-ahead ace by Hailey Flanders, to build an 8-4 advantage.
Wiederin capped the run with another kill.
“It feels so amazing,” Wiederin said. “I’m just so proud of how hard our team worked to be here. We were just finding every point that would put us toward the best position we could be in.”
Dowling eventually cut the deficit to 11-10 on a kill by Kaylie Klein, but the Maroons then unraveled down the stretch. They made two consecutive bad passes that gave Ankeny some breathing room and allowed the Hawkettes to close out the match shortly thereafter.
“It was just interesting watching their serve receive,” Baethke said of the Maroons. “You could just tell that they were trying to overplay too much, and maybe they weren’t trusting of their teammates. But they’re still such a great team, and I feel so happy to come out on top.”
Dowling used a 7-1 run to close out the opening set, getting a kill from Kaylie Klein to finish it off. The Hawkettes then used a 9-3 run to close out Set 2, getting an ace from Steinkamp to even the match.
The Maroons led by as many as 10 points while dominating the third set, but Ankeny regrouped and found a way to come back.
“It was just sticking with our game plan and the basics,” Baethke said. “We served aggressive, because our ball control is what allows us to have our options on offense. And we executed.”
Isaacson had nine kills in the win, Ellison chipped in eight, and Teagan Moyer added seven. Macie Kohl dished out 18 assists.
Flanders led the defense with 24 digs, while Madi Anselme and Ellison each contributed nine. Moyer and Roush each made four blocks.
Ellison, Flanders and Steinkamp each contributed a pair of aces for the Hawkettes, who overcame a match-high nine blocks from Dowling’s Ellie Muller. Six different Maroons had between six and 11 kills, but it wasn’t enough.
“It’s awesome,” Steinkamp said. “It’s just the best feeling.”
Ankeny will face No. 1 Waukee Northwest (36-1) in the semifinals on Wednesday at 10 a.m. on Court One. The Wolves advanced with a sweep over No. 11 Indianola, which had ousted No. 4 Waukee–the only team to defeat Northwest this season–in a regional final.
“We have to regroup,” Baethke said. “It does help that they’re a familiar team from our conference. They’re loaded, and I think we’re just going to still continue to take care of our side and excel at what we do. These girls enjoy being the underdog, and they enjoy having that chip on their shoulder and proving people wrong.”
Northwest is riding a 19-match winning streak that includes a sweep at Ankeny on Oct. 7. The Wolves boast four Division I recruits and are seeking their second title in three years.
“We know we have nothing to lose,” said Wiederin, whose team lost to Northwest in last year’s quarterfinals. “We’re going to come out strong, really excited and with so much energy.”
Northwest has dropped only four sets all season, but Roush said the Hawkettes are looking forward to the challenge of taking down the tournament’s heavy favorite.
“We’re going to have to stay really disciplined when we block,” she said. “We’re going to have to keep working on our shots with them, because we can’t hit straight down at them because they’ll dig you. And our serving and passing (will be critical). I think if we keep serving hard and passing dimes we’ll be ok.”
