The Ankeny volleyball team swept three opponents in the Ankeny Quadrangular on Saturday to raise its overall record to 28-6 on the season.
The third-ranked Hawkettes posted a 25-22, 27-25 win in the championship match over Norwalk, the No. 1 team in Class 4A. The Warriors are now 26-6.
“We have been emphasizing enjoying these last few matches and embracing good competition heading into postseason play,” said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke, whose squad also defeated Cedar Rapids Xavier (25-11, 25-13) and Omaha (Neb.) Westside (25-15, 25-18). “It was a great opportunity, and we took advantage of our time on the court. Building momentum is key to peaking at the right time.”
The Hawkettes outhit Norwalk by a .257 to .171 margin. Hailey Wiederin, the Class 5A kills leader, pounded 10 of Ankeny’s 31 kills and also had a pair of blocks.
Marlee Ellison had nine kills, six digs and an ace. Elle Isaacson chipped in six kills, while Quinn Roush added four kills in five attempts without a hitting error for an .800 hitting percentage.
Quinn’s sister, Kellen, dished out 24 assists. She also had six digs and an ace.
Raquel Risk led the defense with three blocks, while libero Katelyn Mescher had a team-high seven digs. Mescher also completed all 11 of her serves.
Elle Hatlevig and Delaynee Steele each had 10 kills to lead Norwalk, which had won 15 of its previous 16 matches.
Ankeny will close out the regular season on Tuesday by hosting a CIML Conference match against Urbandale. The J-Hawks are 0-6 in the league and 5-23 overall.
The Hawkettes can wrap up an outright second-place finish in the conference with a victory.
