Ankeny Fanatic

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Dave Whims

‘This was a good time to step away’: State’s all-time winningest coach retires

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Ankeny volleyball coach Dave Whims has retired again. Whims, who came out of retirement to coach the Hawkettes for a second stint in 2019, said this time he won't be coming back. "I'll do some consulting with coaches, and I'll share videos and drills with them," Whims said. "I think that'll keep me busy. But as far as being a head coach somewhere, I … [Read more...] about ‘This was a good time to step away’: State’s all-time winningest coach retires

‘We fell to a better team’: Hawkettes’ bid for repeat crown ends with loss to PV

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A talented squad with a lot of motivation proved to be a bad combination for the Ankeny volleyball team on Wednesday. Second-ranked Pleasant Valley posted a 25-16, 32-30, 15-25, 25-17 victory over the No. 3 Hawkettes in the Class 5A semifinals at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids. The Spartans avenged last year's five-set loss to Ankeny in the … [Read more...] about ‘We fell to a better team’: Hawkettes’ bid for repeat crown ends with loss to PV

Another 5-setter?: Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the Class 5A semifinals

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If Wednesday's semifinal matches in the Class 5A state volleyball tournament are half as entertaining as Monday's quarterfinal matches, then the fans at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse will be in for a treat. Monday's action included a pair of five-set thrillers. Third-ranked Ankeny outlasted No. 6 Urbandale despite scoring five fewer points overall, while … [Read more...] about Another 5-setter?: Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the Class 5A semifinals

SURVIVE AND ADVANCE: Hawkettes outlast Urbandale, Dykstra in 5 sets

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University of Minnesota football coach PJ Fleck provided some inspiration for the Ankeny volleyball team on Monday. After the third-ranked Hawkettes lost two of the first three sets against No. 6 Urbandale in the Class 5A quarterfinals, Ankeny coach Dave Whims channeled his inner Fleck before the fourth set. "The girls were kind of down after losing … [Read more...] about SURVIVE AND ADVANCE: Hawkettes outlast Urbandale, Dykstra in 5 sets

Hawkettes roll past Iowa City High, will play Urbandale in 5A quarterfinals

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There was no chance that the Ankeny volleyball team was going to overlook Iowa City High on Tuesday. Not with a trip to the state tournament at stake. The third-ranked Hawkettes romped to a 25-12, 25-19, 25-9 victory over No. 13 City High in a Class 5A regional final at Ankeny. "It's an amazing feeling to be going back to the Cell (U.S. Cellular … [Read more...] about Hawkettes roll past Iowa City High, will play Urbandale in 5A quarterfinals

Surging Hawkettes sweep Waukee, will host Iowa City High in regional final

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The Ankeny volleyball team is finally healthy after battling some illnesses for much of the season. That could spell trouble for the Hawkettes' opponents. Third-ranked Ankeny opened postseason play on Thursday with a sweep over visiting Waukee in a Class 5A regional semifinal. They posted a 25-9, 25-13, 25-14 victory to defeat the Warriors for the … [Read more...] about Surging Hawkettes sweep Waukee, will host Iowa City High in regional final

Whims returns to bench, Hawkettes sweep Ames to tie for league crown

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Ankeny volleyball coach Dave Whims appears to be on the road to recovery. His team has bounced back just fine from a loss to Ankeny Centennial last month. The fourth-ranked Hawkettes closed out the regular season on Tuesday with a sweep over visiting Ames on Senior Night. They rolled to a 25-6, 25-12, 25-12 victory to earn a share of the CIML Iowa … [Read more...] about Whims returns to bench, Hawkettes sweep Ames to tie for league crown

‘We wanted it so bad’: Centennial girls sweep to victory over Hawkettes

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For the last two weeks, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team focused most of its attention on third-ranked Ankeny. Not even an injury to one of their top players could prevent the No. 7 Jaguars from knocking off their crosstown rival. Centennial moved into sole possession of first place in the CIML Iowa Conference with a 28-26, 31-29, 25-23 victory at … [Read more...] about ‘We wanted it so bad’: Centennial girls sweep to victory over Hawkettes

Hawkettes capture Boone Invitational title, will host Centennial Tuesday

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Dropping only one set along the way, the Ankeny volleyball team captured the championship of the Boone Invitational on Saturday. The third-ranked Hawkettes won all six of their matches in the round-robin tournament. They raised their record to 30-4 on the season. Ankeny also won the Boone Invitational in 2018 and 2019. The tournament was not held last … [Read more...] about Hawkettes capture Boone Invitational title, will host Centennial Tuesday

Hawkettes sweep Waukee Northwest, beat Wolves for 3rd time this season

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The Ankeny volleyball team is hoping to get healthy before Tuesday's showdown against crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial. The second-ranked Hawkettes posted a 25-14, 25-20, 25-16 victory at No. 13 Waukee Northwest on Tuesday, despite battling some illnesses. "Dealing with fall colds, flus and other things we were a little sluggish," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about Hawkettes sweep Waukee Northwest, beat Wolves for 3rd time this season

Without Whims, Hawkettes fall to Urbandale, finish 4-1 at Waukee Invite

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The Ankeny volleyball team was not at full strength on Saturday. The Hawkettes competed at the Waukee Invitational without head coach Dave Whims, who stayed at home due to an illness. "It's the first time I have missed a scheduled volleyball match in 40 years," said Whims. Assistant coach Sam Sheldon took over and guided Ankeny to a 4-1 record on … [Read more...] about Without Whims, Hawkettes fall to Urbandale, finish 4-1 at Waukee Invite

Hawkettes extend Mason City’s losing skid, raise their record to 19-3

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After a difficult stretch of matches, the Ankeny volleyball team needed a breather on Tuesday night. The top-ranked Hawkettes got one in their home opener. Ankeny hit .542 on the night and rolled to a 25-10, 25-10, 25-18 victory over Mason City in a CIML Iowa Conference match. "We were able to rest a few players after playing 12 matches in the last … [Read more...] about Hawkettes extend Mason City’s losing skid, raise their record to 19-3

‘We were tired’: Ankeny’s winning streak ends with losses to Dowling, IC Liberty

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There will likely be another change this week at the top of the Class 5A volleyball rankings. Third-ranked Iowa City Liberty posted a 25-21, 25-18 victory over No. 1 Ankeny in the semifinals of the Caroline Found Invitational on Saturday at Iowa City West. Liberty then defeated No. 9 Dowling Catholic to capture the title. The Hawkettes had moved into … [Read more...] about ‘We were tired’: Ankeny’s winning streak ends with losses to Dowling, IC Liberty

‘DIG OR DIE MENTALITY’: Hawkettes rally in all 3 sets to sweep Urbandale

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After taking over the No. 1 spot in the Class 5A rankings, the Ankeny volleyball team passed another huge test Thursday with a sweep at No. 5 Urbandale. The Hawkettes overcame a late deficit in all three sets to post a 26-24, 25-20, 25-23 victory in the non-conference match. They improved to 15-1 on the season, while the J-Hawks' record fell to … [Read more...] about ‘DIG OR DIE MENTALITY’: Hawkettes rally in all 3 sets to sweep Urbandale

Hawkettes get off to fast start, sweep to victory at No. 10 Johnston

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A fast start helped the third-ranked Ankeny volleyball team to a 25-14, 25-20, 25-21 victory at No. 10 Johnston on Tuesday. After a sideout by the Hawkettes, Lexi Stephens and her teammates reeled off 10 straight points for an 11-1 lead and never looked back. They improved their record to 14-1, while the Dragons dropped to 8-4. "This was a big win in … [Read more...] about Hawkettes get off to fast start, sweep to victory at No. 10 Johnston

Hawkettes knock off No. 1 IC Liberty, No. 2 Valley to win Marj White Classic

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There will likely be a new No. 1 team in Class 5A when the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union announces its volleyball rankings later this week. And it will be the same squad that raised the state championship trophy last November. Third-ranked Ankeny knocked off the top two teams in Class 5A to win the Marj White Classic on Saturday at Valley. The … [Read more...] about Hawkettes knock off No. 1 IC Liberty, No. 2 Valley to win Marj White Classic

Hawkettes rebound from first loss, roll past Fort Dodge in conference opener

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Once the Ankeny volleyball team got rolling on Tuesday, there wasn't much that Fort Dodge could do to stop the Hawkettes. Third-ranked Ankeny posted a 25-14 victory in the first set of its CIML Iowa Conference opener. The visiting Hawkettes then rolled in the next two sets, 25-5, 25-1, to complete a sweep. "We got warmed up in the first set," said … [Read more...] about Hawkettes rebound from first loss, roll past Fort Dodge in conference opener

Hawkettes, Jaguars suffer back-to-back losses to Valley at Centennial Invite

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For the second time in five days, a potential matchup between the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial volleyball teams was spoiled by one of the schools' CIML rivals. On Saturday at the Centennial Invitational, sixth-ranked Valley posted a 25-21, 25-17 victory over No. 3 Ankeny in the quarterfinals. It was the first loss of the season for the Hawkettes (7-1) and … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars suffer back-to-back losses to Valley at Centennial Invite