Ankeny Christian Academy’s Gabbie Quick watched her sister, Katie, win three consecutive state volleyball titles in 2022-24.
Now, the freshman setter has a championship of her own.
Quick served back-to-back aces to close out a four-set victory over third-ranked Janesville in the Class 1A title match on Thursday night at Xtream Arena in Coralville, giving No. 1 ACA a fourth crown in five years that could become part of a continuing dynasty.
“We always had that goal to win state,” said Quick. “We just wanted to make it here, and to win it is so crazy. We’re all just so grateful for it.”
Sophomore Havanna Dolbeare pounded 20 kills as ACA overcame a one-set deficit to post a 15-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-15 win. The Eagles finished with a 41-2 record, losing only to Class 5A qualifier Ankeny and Class 3A qualifier Roland-Story.
“It hasn’t set in. I can’t even believe it,” said Dolbeare. “God has been good to us. He has given us so much. We wouldn’t be here without Him, so I’m just grateful for everything He’s given our team. It’s just insane.”
Dolbeare was named the captain of the all-tournament team. She was joined on the squad by Quick and junior Breeze Bentz.
“It’s so surreal,” said Bentz. “Missing the tournament last year and then coming back and being able to do it this year in front of all our fans and just in front of the whole state, everyone gets to see that ACA is back. We’re 12-0 now in the tournament as a program, and I think that’s pretty great.”
It was the 250th career victory for ACA coach Michele Quick, who has now captured four crowns in eight seasons at the school. She shared a hug with her daughter after the match, something she got to do with Katie in each of her last three seasons with the Eagles.
“It is really special,” said coach Quick. “My heart just melts thinking that with both of my daughters I get the opportunity to hug them and hold them, and just tell them how proud of them I am. It is a pretty special moment.”
Janesville (32-13) was the runner-up for the second straight year. The Wildcats, who lost to Saint Ansgar in last year’s final, were denied a sixth state title.
Janesville got a match-high 23 kills and five blocks from 6-foot-4 sophomore Quinn Sweeney, who was named to the all-tournament team along with teammate Tayah Pollock. Sweeney had eight of her kills as the Wildcats dominated the opening set.
“We played Grundy Center earlier this season, so we played against a girl (Ryanne Brubaker) that is similar to (Sweeney),” Dolbeare said. “But we really haven’t played any teams like Janesville.”
The Wildcats closed out the first set with a 10-1 run. Myah Zwanziger had all four of her aces during the run.
“We went back to the tunnel after the first set and we were like, ‘This is not our game at all. We’re not playing ACA volleyball,'” said Bentz. “So we all looked at each other and were like, ‘Who are we playing for?’ And we’re playing for God and for each other. We just weren’t playing our game. But in that next set, it all started clicking. We just had to settle in a bit.”
After hitting just .051 in the first set, ACA got more efficient as the match progressed. The Eagles hit .182 in the second set, .310 in the third and .316 in the fourth.
Overall, the Eagles outhit Janesville by a .217 to .127 margin–despite a .354 effort from Sweeney.
“They came out swinging,” Dolbeare said of the Wildcats. “We weren’t expecting it almost. We had done our research, but I think the nerves just really set in. We just weren’t used to that atmosphere in the first set. But after that, we locked in and we just played ACA volleyball.”
ACA never trailed in the middle two sets. The Eagles closed out the second set on an ace by Quick, then used a 6-0 run in the third set to build a 17-8 advantage.
ACA eventually closed out the third set on a kill by freshman Maleah Porter, who had eight kills and hit .333 in the match.
Quick finished with six kills, 26 assists and 14 digs along with her three aces. Another freshman, Dani Craighead, had four kills and hit .571.
The arrival of the three freshmen this fall gave Bentz some reasons to believe that ACA could return to the top of the Class 1A volleyball landscape. The Eagles had lost to BCLUW in a regional final last year.
“I was definitely upset by that loss, but I was so ready for the next year to come,” Bentz said. “We just knew we had to put the pedal to the metal. I didn’t have any doubts to be honest. I knew we had some great freshmen coming in, and they’re the greatest girls ever.”
Still, the Eagles needed to win one more set to reach their goal. There were seven ties and six lead changes in Set 4 before ACA finally put it away.
Janesville took a 10-9 lead on a kill by Lauren Meaney before Porter answered with a kill to ignite a 6-0 run. A kill by Bentz put the Eagles ahead to stay.
Bentz finished with eight kills, 12 digs and three blocks. Avlyn Davis dished out seven assists and racked up 19 digs.
“I knew we wanted to get back to this position,” said coach Quick. “I knew that the girls were hungry for it. We talk about that pink court quite a bit, but we just focus as the season goes on (on one day at a time). We work at practice and then one game at a time, and then reflect on what are the opportunities we need to work on as the season goes on. Did we want to get back to the pink court again at state? Yes.”
In the end, Quick’s daughter delivered the final blows with her 85th and 86th aces of the season. It’s a skill she learned from watching Katie, who recorded 483 aces in her high school career before joining the Drake volleyball program in the fall of 2025.
“She inspired me so much. She’s actually like my best friend. I’m just so grateful for her. She’s really gotten me to where I am today,” Gabbie said of her sister. “I think serving is usually my best (asset) on the court. I’m just grateful that I was able to contribute to the team and get some aces.”
Senior libero Katelyn Weathers had nine digs in the win, which allowed her to claim a third state title. She also played on the 2023-24 ACA teams.
Weathers is the only varsity regular who will graduate, so the Eagles’ dominance of Class 1A could continue for awhile. Coach Quick wasn’t ready to look ahead, though, because she had yet to fully realize what her team had just accomplished.
“I think it’ll sink in a little bit more when we get in the vans and start driving home and just starting to process it,” she said. “But man, it feels good. It’s super exciting.”
