Coming off back-to-back losses, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team needed to get back on track.
A trip to Iowa City High for the Little Hawk Invitational on Saturday was just what the seventh-ranked Jaguars needed.
Centennial swept all five of its opponents–including four ranked foes–to win the tournament for the sixth consecutive year. The Jaguars are now 9-3 on the season.
“It was a good day in Iowa City,” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart. “The Jags competed well and found ways to win when they needed to. We took big steps forward in grinding out hard together, and it was fun to see the team’s hard work pay off!”
Centennial closed out the tournament with a 21-15, 21-18 victory over No. 13 Bettendorf in the de facto championship match of the round-robin event. The Bulldogs (8-2) had also won their first four matches, although they needed three sets to defeat both Burlington and No. 15 Iowa City High.
The Jaguars began the day with a 21-12, 21-12 win over Burlington. They then followed with a 22-20, 21-15 victory over Iowa City High, getting their biggest challenge of the tournament in the opening set.
In its third match, Centennial rolled to a 21-7, 21-14 triumph over Council Bluffs Lewis Central, the No. 10 team in Class 4A. The Jaguars got off to a fast start as Ellie Pollock served the first 19 points of the match.
“Ellie’s service run against Lewis Central was really fun,” Rinehart said. “At first it was like, ‘Ok this is a good run,’ but as it kept going we all became more invested in it. ‘Let’s go all the way to 21!’ During that run, everyone was locked into their jobs and things just felt easy! Ellie did a great job of staying focused and making Lewis Central make a play that would beat us.”
Centennial then posted a 21-10, 21-9 win over Iowa City Regina, the No. 8 team in Class 2A. That set up the showdown against Bettendorf for the title.
“A lot of good came out of Iowa City, but it also revealed we still have a lot of growing to do to meet our goals!” Rinehart said.
The Jaguars will travel to Waukee on Tuesday for a CIML Conference match against the No. 11 Warriors (4-5). It’s an important match because both teams dropped their league opener earlier this week.
Centennial defeated Waukee, 25-18, 25-9, in the Marj White Classic on Aug. 27 at Valley Stadium.