Ankeny Fanatic

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Jessica Rinehart

‘We’re going to be a fun, athletic team’: Jaguars to rely heavily on Pratt, Miller

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Despite losing six key players from last year's team, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball squad still has plenty of reasons for optimism. The Jaguars boast two of the state's top juniors in Delaney Miller and Jaeden Pratt. They helped lead the team to a 30-10 record and a trip to the Class 5A semifinals a year ago. "The practices have been going well," … [Read more...] about ‘We’re going to be a fun, athletic team’: Jaguars to rely heavily on Pratt, Miller

‘I’m super proud of the girls’: Jaguars fall short against Hartman, No. 1 I.C. Liberty

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A balanced offensive attack wasn't enough for the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team against Iowa City Liberty star Cassidy Hartman. Hartman pounded 22 kills and also had 15 digs to lead the top-ranked Lightning to a 25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 25-22 victory over No. 6 Centennial in a Class 5A semifinal on Wednesday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. "She has a … [Read more...] about ‘I’m super proud of the girls’: Jaguars fall short against Hartman, No. 1 I.C. Liberty

‘We just had to keep fighting’: Jaguars outlast Dowling Catholic in 5-set thriller

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There was nothing scary about the volleyball match between Ankeny Centennial and Dowling Catholic that was played on Halloween. The two CIML Conference rivals simply played an all-time classic on the state's biggest stage. Sixth-ranked Centennial outlasted the No. 4 Maroons, 25-22, 23-25, 19-25, 29-27, 15-11, in a Class 5A quarterfinal at the state … [Read more...] about ‘We just had to keep fighting’: Jaguars outlast Dowling Catholic in 5-set thriller

‘It was a great night’: Jaguars rout Riders, earn their 9th trip to state in 10 years

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One statistic stood out from Tuesday's Class 5A regional volleyball final between sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial and visiting Des Moines Roosevelt. The Roughriders finished with more hitting errors (16) than kills (15), resulting in a -.013 hitting percentage. "It was a great night for us," Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart said after her team swept … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great night’: Jaguars rout Riders, earn their 9th trip to state in 10 years

‘I think we can go all the way’: Confident Jaguars rout S.C. West in regional opener

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball players didn't spend a lot of time preparing for their first postseason opponent. The sixth-ranked Jaguars focused most of their attention over the last week on themselves. "We decided to (play) more as a team and try and do things more as a team," said Centennial sophomore Jaeden Pratt. "We knew that Sioux City (West) … [Read more...] about ‘I think we can go all the way’: Confident Jaguars rout S.C. West in regional opener

‘We just kept fighting’: Winkel, Jaguars hold off Waukee NW on Senior Night

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team let two match points slip away during Tuesday's battle against visiting Waukee Northwest. Delainey Winkel made sure that the Jaguars didn't waste their next opportunity to close out the match. Winkel pounded a kill to break a 24-24 tie in the fourth set, then delivered an ace to give fifth-ranked Centennial a … [Read more...] about ‘We just kept fighting’: Winkel, Jaguars hold off Waukee NW on Senior Night

‘We reached a whole new level’: Jaguars top Mount Vernon, finish 4-1 at tourney

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team is hoping to peak at the end of the season. The fifth-ranked Jaguars took another step toward reaching that goal with a strong performance on Saturday in the Westside Invitational at Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Centennial won all three of its matches during pool play, capped off by a 21-13, 21-6 victory over Mount … [Read more...] about ‘We reached a whole new level’: Jaguars top Mount Vernon, finish 4-1 at tourney

Jaguars gear up for showdown at Ankeny after placing 2nd at Urbandale Invite

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There's no time to rest for the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team. Not with a showdown at second-ranked Ankeny coming up on Tuesday. After placing second in the Urbandale Invitational on Saturday, the No. 5 Jaguars are going back into the gym on Sunday to prepare for their crosstown rival. "Overall, we were happy with the results, but we were … [Read more...] about Jaguars gear up for showdown at Ankeny after placing 2nd at Urbandale Invite

‘We reached a new level’: Jaguars romp to convincing sweep at Waukee

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After being idle for eight days, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team returned to action on Thursday and rolled to a convincing sweep at CIML Conference rival Waukee. The sixth-ranked Jaguars posted a 25-14, 25-16, 25-20 victory to improve to 3-1 in the league and 16-5 overall. No. 11 Waukee's records dropped to 1-3 and 8-16. The Warriors were coming … [Read more...] about ‘We reached a new level’: Jaguars romp to convincing sweep at Waukee

Valley was no cupcake, but Jaguars rally to win after dropping opening set

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Delainey Winkel and her teammates on the Ankeny Centennial volleyball squad enjoyed some chocolate cupcakes on Tuesday night. The sixth-ranked Jaguars celebrated Winkel's birthday and a come-from-behind victory after Centennial rallied for a 22-25, 25-19, 25-14, 25-19 win at No. 9 Valley in a CIML Conference match. "I think we just settled in and … [Read more...] about Valley was no cupcake, but Jaguars rally to win after dropping opening set

‘We figured it would be a battle’: Jaguars tumble to Dowling Catholic in 5 sets

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Two weeks ago, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball team rolled to a win over Dowling Catholic in its first match of the season at the Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational. On Tuesday, the sixth-ranked Maroons avenged that loss in a five-set thriller on their home court. Dowling rallied from a 2-1 deficit to post a 22-25, 25-18, 15-25, 25-19, 15-6 victory … [Read more...] about ‘We figured it would be a battle’: Jaguars tumble to Dowling Catholic in 5 sets

Jaguars finish 4-0 at Little Hawk Invite, capture title for 2nd straight year

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On a day when the Iowa football team struggled to get its offense going in its season opener at Kinnick Stadium, the Ankeny Centennial volleyball squad had no such problems on Saturday just a few miles away at Iowa City High School. The fifth-ranked Jaguars swept all four of their matches in two sets to win the Little Hawk Invitational title for the … [Read more...] about Jaguars finish 4-0 at Little Hawk Invite, capture title for 2nd straight year

‘Slightly haunted’ Jaguars get over hump, sweep No. 7 Urbandale in 3 sets

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team wasn't able to get over the hump on Saturday against second-ranked Cedar Falls and No. 3 Pleasant Valley, losing a pair of close three-set matches at the Centennial Invitational. On Tuesday, the No. 11 Jaguars had another opportunity to knock off a top-10 opponent--and they didn't let it go to waste. Host … [Read more...] about ‘Slightly haunted’ Jaguars get over hump, sweep No. 7 Urbandale in 3 sets

‘It was fun’: Hawkettes top Centennial to win Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational

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The Ankeny volleyball team is off to a good start. Ankeny Centennial has plenty of reasons to be optimistic, too. Both squads opened their season on Tuesday by competing in the Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational. Fifth-ranked Ankeny won the round-robin tournament with a 4-0 record, while No. 11 Centennial took second with a 3-1 mark. "It’s always … [Read more...] about ‘It was fun’: Hawkettes top Centennial to win Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational

‘This team can do big things’: Jaguars ready to compete in new conference

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Throughout most of her tenure as the Ankeny Centennial volleyball coach, Jessica Rinehart has had some of the state's best players on her roster--from Jaali Winters to Kenna Sauer to Devyn Robinson just to name a few. Now, the Jaguars will head into the 2022 season without even one returning all-conference player. Centennial posted a 30-10 record last … [Read more...] about ‘This team can do big things’: Jaguars ready to compete in new conference

‘It’s a bummer’: Pleasant Valley knocks out Centennial, earns rematch vs. Ankeny

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The Ankeny Centennial volleyball team was hoping to erase the memory of last year's four-set loss to Ankeny in the Class 5A quarterfinals. Instead, the Jaguars suffered a similar fate. Second-ranked Pleasant Valley scored 33 of the last 48 points and posted a 25-16, 19-25, 25-20, 25-12 victory over No. 7 Centennial in a Class 5A quarterfinal on Monday … [Read more...] about ‘It’s a bummer’: Pleasant Valley knocks out Centennial, earns rematch vs. Ankeny

‘SHINE TIME’: Meyer, Jaguars sweep C.R. Prairie, advance to state tourney

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Marissa Meyer could barely contain her excitement following Tuesday's volleyball match against visiting Cedar Rapids Prairie. "I don't even have words (to describe it)," Meyer said. "I'm just so excited. We've worked for it the whole season. We had this saying the whole season, 'Grind time. Pride time. Shine time.' And we did shine." Nobody shined more … [Read more...] about ‘SHINE TIME’: Meyer, Jaguars sweep C.R. Prairie, advance to state tourney

Jaguars sweep Roosevelt for 4th time, advance to regional final vs. C.R. Prairie

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On paper, Thursday's matchup between the Ankeny Centennial and Des Moines Roosevelt volleyball teams appeared to be a mismatch. It turned out to be exactly that. The seventh-ranked Jaguars had already defeated Roosevelt three times this season, and they did it again with a 25-14, 25-17, 25-10 victory in a Class 5A regional semifinal at … [Read more...] about Jaguars sweep Roosevelt for 4th time, advance to regional final vs. C.R. Prairie