With senior Ellie Pollock back in the lineup, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team could be peaking at the right time.
Pollock returned to the court on Saturday as sixth-ranked Centennial defended its title in the Westside Invitational at Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The Jaguars posted a 25-19, 30-28 victory over No. 4 Dowling Catholic in the championship match, avenging a five-set loss to the Maroons on Sept. 1.
“I think winning this game was crucial for our confidence,” said Pollock, who had not played since spraining her ankle during a match at Southeast Polk on Sept. 24. “We’ve been talking all season about what we want to accomplish, but we haven’t fully acted on that until today. This was our first win against a team ranked higher than us, and I think it really opened eyes to see what we can really do in the next couple weeks.”
Meryl Sandholm pounded nine kills as Centennial hit .342 for the match, Madi VanBruggen chipped in seven kills, and Sophia Heither and Bailey Snyder each added six. Emma VandenHull dished out 16 assists and Elin Whitver had 12 more as the Jaguars improved to 24-8 on the season.
Dowling’s record dropped to 26-6.
“I’m so extremely proud of our crew!” said Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart, who earned her 500th career win during the East vs. West Showdown on Oct. 3 at Coralville. “Every single person showed up this week to work hard and to keep pushing. I saw in Thursday’s practice what I saw today–a team that is willing to keep going, to fight hard for each other, and to continue to work for their goals. This crew keeps regrouping and doing the right things, and I’m so happy for them that they finally got to see the rewards today!”
Snyder also had two aces in the win over the Maroons, while Heither contributed a pair of blocks. Kaelyn Rinehart racked up a team-high 12 digs, and Pollock added eight more–including the 500th of her career.
“I don’t think I’m fully back to 100 percent quite yet, but I’m definitely getting there,” said Pollock, who also completed all 13 of her serves and had an ace. “Physical therapy with Anne Deaton has been helping a ton, and I’m just happy to be back out on the court with my best friends for this last stretch of the season.”
Centennial went 2-1 during pool play. The Jaguars posted a 21-9, 21-11 win over Muscatine and a 21-10, 21-17 triumph over Marion, the No. 8 team in Class 4A.
Centennial’s only loss of the day came to No. 5 Iowa City West, 21-19, 22-20. The Jaguars also lost to West a week ago at the Coralville event.
In the quarterfinals, Centennial defeated Class 3A No. 3 Dike-New Hartford for the third time this season. The Jaguars won by scores of 25-15, 25-22.
Then, in the semifinals, Centennial rolled to a 25-15, 25-15 win over Class 2A No. 2 Grundy Center and its 6-foot-8 middle hitter, Marquette recruit Ryanne Brubaker.
“I’m thrilled and so proud with how everyone played today,” Pollock said. “We aren’t a team with any crazy standout players, and it’s been noticeable so far in the season that we only win when everyone is having a good game. Today, everyone had a great day and it truly was a team effort. I’m happy with the entire team effort from every single person here.”
The Jaguars will close out the regular season on Tuesday by hosting a CIML Conference match against No. 10 Johnston. The Dragons are 3-3 in the league and 16-12 overall.
Centennial can wrap up at least a fourth-place finish in the conference with a win.