Ankeny Fanatic

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Liz Baethke

‘We had great energy’: Hawkettes sweep C.R. Jefferson, will host City High next

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There were a lot of mismatches on Thursday in the semifinal round of the Class 5A regional volleyball tournaments. One of the lopsided affairs came at Ankeny, where the third-ranked Hawkettes rolled to a 25-10, 25-10, 25-18 victory over Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The J-Hawks finished the season with a 7-28 record. "We had great energy and controlled our … [Read more...] about ‘We had great energy’: Hawkettes sweep C.R. Jefferson, will host City High next

Baethke returns to Urbandale, guides Hawkettes to sweep over her former team

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Of all the gyms that the Ankeny volleyball team has played in throughout the fall, the Hawkettes closed out their regular season in one that’s more than familiar to coach Liz Baethke. The second-year Ankeny coach returned to Urbandale on Tuesday to help guide the Hawkettes to a 3-0 sweep (25-9, 25-4, 25-19) over a J-Hawks … [Read more...] about Baethke returns to Urbandale, guides Hawkettes to sweep over her former team

‘We really terminated the ball’: Hawkettes outlast Waukee NW for 3rd time this year

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Two of the state's best volleyball teams met for a third time on Tuesday at Waukee Northwest. And, for the third time, third-ranked Ankeny outlasted the No. 6 Wolves. The Hawkettes posted a 20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 16-25, 15-12 victory in the CIML Conference match, allowing No. 1 Ankeny Centennial to wrap up the outright league crown. Both Ankeny and … [Read more...] about ‘We really terminated the ball’: Hawkettes outlast Waukee NW for 3rd time this year

‘They had to dig deep’: Ankeny spikers overcome illnesses to win W-SR Invite

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The Ankeny volleyball team dropped two sets along the way, but still managed to win the championship of the Waverly-Shell Rock Invitational on Saturday. The third-ranked Hawkettes posted a 25-20, 24-26, 15-9 victory in the title match over Denver, the No. 1 team in Class 2A. They extended their winning streak to seven matches while improving to 32-4 on … [Read more...] about ‘They had to dig deep’: Ankeny spikers overcome illnesses to win W-SR Invite

‘We needed that really bad’: Hawkettes top Dowling, move into tie for 3rd place

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After losing to its crosstown rival five days earlier, the Ankeny volleyball team couldn't afford another loss. The third-ranked Hawkettes responded with one of their biggest wins of the season. Ankeny moved into a third-place tie with No. 4 Dowling Catholic in the CIML Conference by posting a 25-23, 21-25, 25-16, 25-20 victory over the visiting … [Read more...] about ‘We needed that really bad’: Hawkettes top Dowling, move into tie for 3rd place

Hawkettes tune up for showdown vs. Jags by sweeping S.E. Polk on Senior Night

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Even with a huge showdown against top-ranked Ankeny Centennial coming up on Thursday, the No. 3 Ankeny volleyball team couldn't afford to look past its opponent on Tuesday. The Hawkettes rolled to a 25-15, 25-15, 25-14 victory over visiting Southeast Polk to stay alive in the CIML Conference race. They improved to 3-1 in the league and 25-3 overall, while … [Read more...] about Hawkettes tune up for showdown vs. Jags by sweeping S.E. Polk on Senior Night

Carlsen reaches milestone as Hawkettes capture 3rd straight Waukee Invite crown

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It's been a good week for Baileigh Carlsen and the Ankeny volleyball team. Carlsen recorded her 1,000th career dig as the third-ranked Hawkettes won the Waukee Invitational on Saturday for the third consecutive year. "Honestly, I didn't really know that I was about to hit 1,000--especially this tournament," said Carlsen, a senior libero and Auburn … [Read more...] about Carlsen reaches milestone as Hawkettes capture 3rd straight Waukee Invite crown

After long weekend, ‘tired’ Hawkettes sweep past Johnston for 19th victory

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It had been awhile since the Ankeny volleyball team got the luxury of playing on its home court after weeks of road matches and tournaments. Despite still recouping from a six-match outing--which included playing a quarterfinal round matchup instead of getting a bye--at the Live Like Line Invitational hosted by Iowa City … [Read more...] about After long weekend, ‘tired’ Hawkettes sweep past Johnston for 19th victory

Hawkettes reach title match of Found Invitational before falling to Dowling

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You can probably expect another close match when the Ankeny volleyball team hosts CIML Conference rival Dowling Catholic on Oct. 1. There isn't much of a gap, if any, between the two squads. Second-ranked Ankeny advanced to the championship match of the Caroline Found Invitational on Saturday at Iowa City West before dropping a 25-15, 22-25, 15-9 … [Read more...] about Hawkettes reach title match of Found Invitational before falling to Dowling

‘They just scrapped and wanted it more’: Warriors halt Ankeny’s winning streak

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The Waukee volleyball team committed nine serving errors during Tuesday's match against visiting Ankeny. On most nights, it would be tough to overcome that many "free" points for your opponent. But ninth-ranked Waukee played so well in every other aspect of the game that it didn't matter. The Warriors avenged Saturday's loss to No. 4 Ankeny at the Marj … [Read more...] about ‘They just scrapped and wanted it more’: Warriors halt Ankeny’s winning streak

‘Everyone played so hard’: Hawkettes beat 4 top-10 teams, win Marj White Classic

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The Valley High School gym is turning into a second home for the Ankeny volleyball team. After sweeping their CIML Conference opener on Tuesday at Valley, the fourth-ranked Hawkettes returned to the Bill Coldiron Fieldhouse on Saturday and captured the championship of the Marj White Classic. They won all five of their matches in the round-robin event, … [Read more...] about ‘Everyone played so hard’: Hawkettes beat 4 top-10 teams, win Marj White Classic

Ankeny Christian wins Centennial Invite; Hawkettes, Jaguars tumble in semifinals

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All three of Ankeny's highly-ranked volleyball teams reached the semifinals of the Ankeny Centennial Invitational on Saturday. In the end, the smallest school emerged as the winner of the tournament. Top-ranked Ankeny Christian Academy, the two-time defending state champion in Class 1A, posted a 25-18, 21-25, 15-13 victory over Dowling Catholic in the … [Read more...] about Ankeny Christian wins Centennial Invite; Hawkettes, Jaguars tumble in semifinals

Hawkettes hold off Ankeny Christian Academy to win Ankeny Quadrangular

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Two miles are all that separate Ankeny High School and Ankeny Christian Academy. Despite preseason scrimmages and players joining up together on club teams, the Hawkette and Eagle volleyball teams had never faced each other in a regular season matchup. Well the stars finally aligned as the Hawkettes hosted a … [Read more...] about Hawkettes hold off Ankeny Christian Academy to win Ankeny Quadrangular

‘The seeds have been planted’: Hawkettes seek more growth in Baethke’s 2nd year

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Liz Baethke feels a lot more comfortable now as the head coach of the Ankeny volleyball team. The Hawkettes feel a lot more comfortable with her, too. Baethke took over the program in the summer of 2023 and guided Ankeny to a 24-15 record in her first season. The Hawkettes qualified for the state tournament before falling to Ankeny Centennial in five … [Read more...] about ‘The seeds have been planted’: Hawkettes seek more growth in Baethke’s 2nd year

‘I was fighting for my team’: Sash leads Centennial past Hawkettes in thriller

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It's a shame that one team had to lose in the Jag-Hawk matchup at the state volleyball tournament on Monday. Both squads played well enough to win the Class 5A quarterfinal at Xtream Arena in Coralville. In the end, second-ranked Ankeny Centennial held on for a 25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 14-25, 15-12 victory over No. 7 Ankeny, which nearly overcame a huge … [Read more...] about ‘I was fighting for my team’: Sash leads Centennial past Hawkettes in thriller

‘Unfinished business’: Hawkettes qualify for state, get rematch vs. Centennial

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The Ankeny volleyball team got the rematch that many of the Hawkettes wanted. After sweeping visiting Iowa City Liberty in a Class 5A regional final on Tuesday, seventh-ranked Ankeny will face No. 2 Ankeny Centennial in the quarterfinals of the state tournament on Monday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, beginning at 12:25 p.m. "I would love to go against … [Read more...] about ‘Unfinished business’: Hawkettes qualify for state, get rematch vs. Centennial

Hawkettes roll past Urbandale, will play Iowa City Liberty for trip to state tourney

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The beat goes on for the Ankeny volleyball team. Another injury struck the seventh-ranked Hawkettes, and the players responded with a shrug of their shoulders. With starting middle hitter Ava Wille out of the lineup due to a knee injury, Ankeny rolled to a 25-18, 25-11, 25-9 victory over visiting Urbandale in a Class 5A regional semifinal on … [Read more...] about Hawkettes roll past Urbandale, will play Iowa City Liberty for trip to state tourney

‘It was the same story’: With Eike out of the lineup, Hawkettes finish 1-2 at Dike

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The Ankeny volleyball team closed out the regular season with a 22-14 record after winning one of three matches at the Dike-New Hartford Quadrangular on Thursday. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes faced three ranked opponents from Class 2A, including No. 1 Dike-New Hartford, which might be the state's best team regardless of class. The Wolverines (44-0) got 13 … [Read more...] about ‘It was the same story’: With Eike out of the lineup, Hawkettes finish 1-2 at Dike