Ankeny Fanatic

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Liz Baethke

Hawkettes rely on balanced attack to dispose of CIML rival Johnston in 4 sets

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) After taking a 2-1 lead in a tight matchup, Ankeny coach Liz Baethke tasked her volleyball players to have their best set of the night. And the Hawkettes delivered. Fourth-ranked Ankeny slammed the door shut on Johnston in the fourth set to clinch a 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-23, 25-13) road win over the No. 11 Dragons in a … [Read more...] about Hawkettes rely on balanced attack to dispose of CIML rival Johnston in 4 sets

No. 4 Hawkettes finish 4-1 against ranked opponents at Caroline Found Invitational

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For the second Saturday in a row, the Ankeny volleyball team traveled to eastern Iowa for a tournament featuring several ranked squads. The fourth-ranked Hawkettes went 4-1 in the Caroline Found Invitational at Iowa City West, where they lost only to Clear Creek Amana in the de facto championship match. The Clippers (18-1), the No. 1 team in Class 4A, … [Read more...] about No. 4 Hawkettes finish 4-1 against ranked opponents at Caroline Found Invitational

‘We put it all on the court’: Hawkettes fall short in 5-set thriller vs. No. 4 Waukee

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The Ankeny volleyball team got off to a fast start in each of the first four sets against visiting Waukee on Tuesday. In the decisive fifth set, the fourth-ranked Warriors finally got off to a fast start of their own. Waukee jumped out to an 8-2 lead, held off a rally by No. 3 Ankeny, and eventually scored the last six points to close out a 25-21, … [Read more...] about ‘We put it all on the court’: Hawkettes fall short in 5-set thriller vs. No. 4 Waukee

‘We ran out of gas’: Ankeny drops rematch to Dike-New Hartford at Ryan Invitational

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In six sets against each other this season, the Ankeny and Dike-New Hartford volleyball teams have been separated by a total of just two points. The two squads are that evenly matched. The third-ranked Hawkettes posted a 26-28, 25-23, 15-10 win over Dike-New Hartford at the Ankeny Quadrangular on Aug. 26, but the Wolverines earned some revenge on … [Read more...] about ‘We ran out of gas’: Ankeny drops rematch to Dike-New Hartford at Ryan Invitational

‘We like being the underdog’: Hawkettes sweep No. 7 Valley girls in CIML opener

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) If there was one thing to learn from Tuesday night, it’d be to never underestimate the Ankeny volleyball team. The ninth-ranked Hawkettes returned to their home court and proceeded to cruise to a 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-14, 15-16) over No. 7 Valley in the CIML Conference opener for both teams. “It’s awesome to get the first … [Read more...] about ‘We like being the underdog’: Hawkettes sweep No. 7 Valley girls in CIML opener

Jaguars, Hawkettes demonstrate lofty potential at Centennial’s Early Bird Invite

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Saturday's Ankeny Centennial Early Bird Invitational featured many of the state's top volleyball teams, including nine of the top 10 squads in the Class 5A preseason rankings. Both Centennial and Ankeny came away from the tournament feeling good about their performance. The fourth-ranked Jaguars advanced to the championship match with a 22-25, 27-25, … [Read more...] about Jaguars, Hawkettes demonstrate lofty potential at Centennial’s Early Bird Invite

Hawkettes top 3 foes at Ankeny Quad, while ACA looks to regroup after 0-3 start

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Whether it's the Hawkettes or the Eagles, there’s plenty of new faces stepping up into larger roles as both volleyball teams look to reload their respective rosters. Ankeny and Ankeny Christian Academy are both trying to fill the gaps left by big senior classes, and Ankeny’s Tuesday quadrangular featuring ACA, Dike-New … [Read more...] about Hawkettes top 3 foes at Ankeny Quad, while ACA looks to regroup after 0-3 start

‘I see great things to come’: Hawkettes to rebuild around Ellison, Risk, Steinkamp

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The Ankeny volleyball team has been a perennial contender in Class 5A. The Hawkettes advanced to the state tournament last season for the seventh consecutive year. They lost in the quarterfinals to CIML Conference rival Waukee Northwest, which then outlasted Ankeny Centennial in the semifinals before falling to Pleasant Valley in four sets in the Class 5A … [Read more...] about ‘I see great things to come’: Hawkettes to rebuild around Ellison, Risk, Steinkamp

‘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