Ankeny Fanatic

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Volleyball

‘We just ran into a giant’: Jaguars earn runner-up trophy in 5A state tournament

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When the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team lost a five-set thriller at Waukee Northwest on Sept. 2, it turned out to be a preview of Thursday's Class 5A championship match at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The final meeting between the two CIML Conference rivals, though, wasn't nearly as close. Top-ranked Northwest captured its second state title in three … [Read more...] about ‘We just ran into a giant’: Jaguars earn runner-up trophy in 5A state tournament

Centennial stars Lei-Butters, Schmidt named to Class 5A all-tournament team

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Ankeny Centennial volleyball standouts Mya Lei-Butters and Tatem Schmidt were both named to the Class 5A all-tournament team after leading the Jaguars to a runner-up finish in the state tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Second-ranked Centennial dropped a 25-10, 25-21, 25-18 decision to No. 1 Waukee Northwest in the title match on Thursday morning. … [Read more...] about Centennial stars Lei-Butters, Schmidt named to Class 5A all-tournament team

Jags sweep Valley to get over semifinal hump, will play Waukee NW for 5A crown

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team finally got over the hump. The second-ranked Jaguars advanced to the Class 5A championship match for the first time since 2018 with a sweep over No. 7 Valley on Wednesday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. They had lost in the semifinal round in each of the last three years. "It feels great," Centennial coach Jessica … [Read more...] about Jags sweep Valley to get over semifinal hump, will play Waukee NW for 5A crown

‘They put us on their backs’: Cheeseman, Schmidt lead Jags to sweep over I.C. West

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A third consecutive postseason sweep has put the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team in a familiar spot. The second-ranked Jaguars posted a 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 victory over No. 8 Iowa City West in the Class 5A quarterfinals on Monday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. They advanced to the semifinals for the fourth year in a row. "It feels really good. It's … [Read more...] about ‘They put us on their backs’: Cheeseman, Schmidt lead Jags to sweep over I.C. West

‘We did what we needed to do!’: Confident Jaguars are headed back to state tourney

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team won't need a map to Coralville. The Jaguars have made a habit of qualifying for the state tournament, so coach Jessica Rinehart and her players already know the way to Xtream Arena. Second-ranked Centennial advanced to the state tournament for the 12th time in the 13-year history of the program by sweeping visiting … [Read more...] about ‘We did what we needed to do!’: Confident Jaguars are headed back to state tourney

‘It was a good start’: Centennial begins postseason run with sweep over J-Hawks

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Ankeny Centennial volleyball’s aspirations for postseason play takes the Jaguars well beyond just the regional bracket. But all good postseason runs start by hitting the ground running. The second-ranked Jaguars used a couple big runs to help sweep visiting Cedar Rapids Jefferson (25-8, 25-10, 25-9) in three sets in … [Read more...] about ‘It was a good start’: Centennial begins postseason run with sweep over J-Hawks

‘We are on a mission’: Jaguars sweep S.E. Polk in potential preview of regional final

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team still needs to win two matches in order to qualify for the Class 5A state tournament, but the Jaguars appear to be well on their way to Coralville. The second-ranked Jaguars closed out the regular season on Tuesday with a 25-10, 25-15, 25-15 sweep at Southeast Polk. The two teams could meet again in a regional final … [Read more...] about ‘We are on a mission’: Jaguars sweep S.E. Polk in potential preview of regional final

‘Today was huge!’: Jags get over semifinal hump, top No. 4 PV to win Westside Invite

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team finally got over the semifinal hump at the Westside Invitational. The second-ranked Jaguars captured the title at the Cedar Rapids Jefferson tournament on Saturday with a 25-19, 25-17 victory over No. 4 Pleasant Valley. They raised their record to 29-5 by sweeping all six of their opponents on the day. Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘Today was huge!’: Jags get over semifinal hump, top No. 4 PV to win Westside Invite

‘I thought we played some good ball’: Jags avoid letdown, sweep past Johnston

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) When it gets late in the season, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team isn’t going to overlook any opponent. Especially not a CIML Conference foe on the road. The second-ranked Jaguars traveled to Johnston on Tuesday and swept the Dragons in three sets, 25-16, 25-16, 25-14, to remain in third place in the league … [Read more...] about ‘I thought we played some good ball’: Jags avoid letdown, sweep past Johnston

AN HISTORIC DAY: Rinehart earns 400th victory, Cheeseman records 1,000th assist

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Ankeny Centennial's Jessica Rinehart reached another coaching milestone on Saturday during the Urbandale Invitational. Rinehart earned her 400th career victory--all of them at Centennial--when the second-ranked Jaguars completed a perfect 3-0 run through pool play with a 21-15, 18-21, 15-10 win over North Polk, the No. 15 team in Class 4A. "I don’t … [Read more...] about AN HISTORIC DAY: Rinehart earns 400th victory, Cheeseman records 1,000th assist

‘Then we caught fire and looked like us’: Jags rally past No. 2 Waukee for huge win

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) After a tough loss against crosstown rival Ankeny, getting a home win over second-ranked Waukee was crucial for the No. 3 Ankeny Centennial volleyball team. The Jaguars responded by flipping the script from the Jag-Hawk match, dropping the first set on Tuesday before rallying for a 20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-12 victory at … [Read more...] about ‘Then we caught fire and looked like us’: Jags rally past No. 2 Waukee for huge win

‘We felt very out of sync’: Jags fall short in rivalry match despite Heither’s return

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The return of junior middle hitter Sophia Heither provided a spark for the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team on Thursday. It wasn't enough to lift the third-ranked Jaguars to a sixth consecutive victory over No. 4 Ankeny. The visiting Hawkettes rallied from a one-set deficit to post a 19-25, 25-23, 28-26, 25-20 win over their crosstown rival. They … [Read more...] about ‘We felt very out of sync’: Jags fall short in rivalry match despite Heither’s return

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Maegan Cheeseman, Ankeny Centennial volleyball

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Senior setter Maegan Cheeseman has helped the third-ranked Ankeny Centennial volleyball team to a 17-3 record, including a 3-1 mark in the CIML Conference. She leads the Jaguars with 288 assists and has also contributed 62 kills, 28 blocks, 160 digs and 20 aces. As a junior, Cheeseman helped Centennial to a 32-5 record and a third consecutive appearance … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Maegan Cheeseman, Ankeny Centennial volleyball

Jaguars outlast No. 7 Valley in 5 sets to keep CIML Conference title hopes alive

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On a night when the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team wasn't clicking on all cylinders, the third-ranked Jaguars still found a way to win. Centennial rallied from a 2-1 deficit on Thursday to post a 16-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 15-6 victory over No. 7 Valley. The Jaguars had dominated an earlier matchup in the same gym, rolling to a 21-10, 21-12 win at the … [Read more...] about Jaguars outlast No. 7 Valley in 5 sets to keep CIML Conference title hopes alive

‘Jagalicious’ Centennial girls sweep past Dowling behind 10 kills from Ott, Schmidt

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It was a "Jagalicious" kind of night at the Ankeny Centennial gym. The second-ranked Centennial volleyball team got three or more kills from six different players and swept to a 25-14, 28-26, 25-20 victory over No. 8 Dowling Catholic in a CIML Conference match on Tuesday. "We always talk about being 'Jagalicious'--that's our little phrase that we … [Read more...] about ‘Jagalicious’ Centennial girls sweep past Dowling behind 10 kills from Ott, Schmidt

Jaguars reach semifinals of Metro Classic before falling to Waukee NW for 3rd time

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The search for a way to beat the top-ranked Waukee Northwest volleyball team continues for No. 2 Ankeny Centennial. The Jaguars dropped a 21-15, 23-21 decision to Northwest in the semifinals of the Metro Classic on Saturday at Southeast Polk. The Wolves defeated Centennial (15-3) for the third time this season. Northwest also beat Centennial in the … [Read more...] about Jaguars reach semifinals of Metro Classic before falling to Waukee NW for 3rd time

No. 2 Centennial girls sweep to dominant victory at Urbandale on coach’s birthday

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) There’s a lot of fun ways to celebrate a birthday and for Ankeny Centennial volleyball coach Jessica Rinehart, getting a conference road sweep is a perfect way to do just that. Rinehart watched her second-ranked Jaguars hold Urbandale to just 23 total points on the night as Centennial improved to 12-2 overall and 1-1 in CIML … [Read more...] about No. 2 Centennial girls sweep to dominant victory at Urbandale on coach’s birthday