The top eight teams in the final Class 5A rankings all advanced to the state volleyball tournament, which gets under way on Monday with four quarterfinal matches.
Will the chalk continue to win at Xtream Arena in Coralville? That’s just one of the questions that will be answered over the next four days.
Ankeny Fanatic publisher Dan Holm will try to answer a few more in his breakdown of the 5A field:
Who is the team to beat?
This is an easy one–it’s clearly Waukee Northwest’s tournament to lose. The top-ranked Wolves (29-2) are seeking their third state title in four years, and they are riding a 19-match winning streak. They have only lost once to an opponent from Iowa this season–and that came outdoors to Valley in the Marj White Classic on Aug. 27 at Valley Stadium. Northwest is the obvious favorite, but that doesn’t mean that it will capture the crown. The Wolves were also favored to win the girls’ Class 4A state cross country championship on Saturday, but they were unable to defend their title. I think Northwest is beatable on the volleyball court as well, but I don’t expect the Wolves to be seriously tested until Thursday’s final.
Can a team from outside the CIML Conference hoist the championship trophy?
Probably not. No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes (33-2) would appear to have the best chance of the four non-CIML teams, but asking the Mustangs to win three matches in four days against elite opponents will be a huge challenge. Dallas Center-Grimes was undefeated until Oct. 3, when it dropped a 25-16, 23-25, 15-8 decision to Northwest at the Urbandale tournament. The Mustangs then lost again three days later at Class 4A No. 1 Norwalk. Dallas Center-Grimes should reach Wednesday’s semifinals, but I think the Mustangs are vulnerable against the winner of the all-Ankeny showdown.
So, who will win the Jag-Hawk rematch?
I honestly think this is a match that could go either way. No. 3 Ankeny (31-6) posted a four-set victory at Centennial on Sept. 15, but the No. 6 Jaguars (27-8) have consistently raised the level of their play since then, getting a big boost from the addition of eighth grade setter Elin Whitver to the team’s regular rotation. This marks the third time in seven years that the crosstown rivals have met in the quarterfinals. In 2020, the Hawkettes overcame a one-set deficit to beat Centennial in four sets and went on to claim the crown. In 2023, the Jaguars won the first two sets before Ankeny rallied to tie the match, forcing a decisive fifth set that Centennial went on to win, 15-12. The Hawkettes would like to avenge that loss, and they showed in the earlier meeting that they have a size advantage at the net with 6-foot-2 Hailey Wiederin, who pounded 20 kills in the win. It won’t be easy, but look for Ankeny to survive and advance in another five-set thriller. I think the Hawkettes will eventually reach the championship match for the first time since that 2020 season, but knocking off Northwest might be too big of a hurdle. (See below for my entire Class 5A bracket.)
