Sophomore setter Avlyn Davis has helped the Ankeny Christian Academy volleyball team to a 28-1 record and a No. 1 ranking in Class 1A. The Eagles defeated five opponents on Saturday to win the Madrid Pink Out Tournament, capped off by a 19-21, 21-7, 15-12 victory over Webster City.
Davis has recorded 325 assists, 160 digs and 49 aces this season. She recently surpassed the 1,000-assist career mark.
Davis helped the Eagles to a 28-14 mark as a freshman, when she racked up 767 assists–the seventh-highest total in Class 1A.
Here is some inside info on Davis:
Congratulations on an outstanding season thus far. What has been the highlight for you?
A highlight for me has definitely been bonding with the girls. We have a lot of opportunities to do things as a team outside of volleyball, and everyone has gotten very close. It’s been super fun to make new connections.
What do you think has been the key to the team’s success?
We are a very caring team, and everyone looks out for each other. And when we work together and play our game, that’s when we play our best. Our defense has also been doing very well, and we’ve been able to get a lot of balls up in the back court and lots of blocks and good touches at the net.
Your team’s only loss came in the season-opening Ankeny Triangular on Aug. 25, when your team dropped a 25-15, 23-25, 15-13 decision to Ankeny–the No. 3 squad in Class 5A. What did you learn from the loss?
We learned that we can hold our own against really good teams. And I learned to adjust to certain things in the middle of the game based on what Ankeny was doing. I think that game was a huge confidence builder for our team.
Even though you lost, do you think the match showed that your team could compete with anyone in the state–regardless of class?
I think it definitely showed that we can compete with other teams in different classes, and it shows that we will fight and play our game no matter who is on the other side of the net.
Your team has dropped only four other sets all season, but in each case you guys came from a set down to defeat four other larger schools–including the No. 2 team in Class 2A in Grundy Center last month at the Aplington-Parkersburg tournament. Do those wins give your team confidence that you can come back from a deficit in any situation?
Yes, it has been really good to prove to ourselves that we can come back in those situations and have urgency and work together as a team. And In those situations we have to trust each other and our coaches, and I think we have done a good job of that.
You are sharing the setting duties this season with Gabbie Quick, who is one of three freshmen playing key roles along with Dani Craighead and Maleah Porter. What can you say about the performances of those three players, and did you expect them to come in and contribute as much as they have?
I knew coming into the season that they were going to play a significant role on this team. Even during open gyms this summer, I could tell they were determined to make a difference. Gabbie does a great job of running the offense, and I know when she sets that the ball will get distributed well. Gabbie is a very aggressive server, and she has contributed many aces. I love getting to run the offense with her. Dani has been a big weapon in the front row when it comes to blocking. She leads our team in blocking and gets a lot of block touches and slows down the other team’s offense and gives our defense time to get to harder balls. Maleah has done a great job of being a smart player in the front row. She sees the court really well and is a very aggressive player.
Both you and Gabbie have some talented hitters to distribute the ball to–led by sophomore Havanna Dolbeare and junior Breeze Bentz. Do they make your job easier with their ability to finish?
They 100 percent make my job easier. Havanna is a very physical presence in the front row and has led our team in a big way. Breeze has stepped up this year as a leader and sees the court so well, and she plays very smart. Having Havanna and Breeze on the court at all times is a good feeling as a setter knowing that I can give them the ball at any point and be confident they will make the right play.
Coach Michele Quick told me that your defense and serving have been really solid this year as well. Which aspect of your game do you feel like still needs to improve the most?
I want to continue to improve seeing the court. Being able to give my hitters one-on-one situations is something I’ve been working on, as well as being able to see the block and read what the defense is doing on the other side. Reverse flow has been a big thing for me this year, and making the middle blocker on the other side have to work really hard to put up a solid block.
Your team was No. 4 in the preseason rankings, but has now been ranked No. 1 for most of the year. How much confidence do you have that this team can win a state title for the fourth time in five years?
I have a lot of confidence in this team. One thing we have been working on is not looking past any team. We don’t want to be surprised by anyone. The more we focus on the present and how we can improve now the better we will do when postseason comes around.
Assuming that you make it to state, which teams do you expect to give you the biggest challenge in Coralville?
Janesville, Boyden-Hull and Wapsie Valley have been very successful this season and are definitely teams we have begun to start looking at. We are very excited for the opportunity to possibly play them at the state tournament.
You also started on the ACA girls’ basketball team last winter and led the team in scoring with an average of 15.8 points. Are you planning to play a sport in college, and if so, which one?
Basketball and volleyball have always been my favorite sports. At the moment it is hard to decide if there is a certain one I want to pursue, but basketball has always been a dream of mine to play in college. I plan to work hard at both and when an opportunity comes it will, but for now I really enjoy playing both.
