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Liz Baethke

Hawkettes sweep Valley to avenge pair of losses, finish 4th in CIML Conference

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In two previous matchups against sixth-ranked Valley, the No. 8 Ankeny volleyball team was unable to get over the hump. The third time proved to be a charm. The Hawkettes closed out their CIML Conference schedule on Tuesday with a 27-25, 25-14, 25-22 victory over visiting Valley. "It was an emotional Senior Night, but the team came to play," said … [Read more...] about Hawkettes sweep Valley to avenge pair of losses, finish 4th in CIML Conference

‘I’m not one to look back’: Ankeny sweeps to victory over Baethke’s former team

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Ankeny volleyball coach Liz Baethke was happy that her team took care of business quickly. The eighth-ranked Hawkettes rolled to a 25-14, 25-16, 25-14 victory over visiting Urbandale on Thursday. It marked the first time that Baethke has faced her former team. She coached the J-Hawks for 23 years before leaving over the summer to take the reins of the … [Read more...] about ‘I’m not one to look back’: Ankeny sweeps to victory over Baethke’s former team

‘We just kept fighting’: Jaguars rally from 2-0 deficit to defeat Ankeny in 5 sets

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There have been only three five-set matches in the storied history of the Ankeny vs. Ankeny Centennial volleyball rivalry. Tuesday's showdown at Centennial may have been the best of those three matches. After dropping the first two sets, the second-ranked Jaguars rallied for an 18-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 15-11 victory over No. 5 Ankeny to take an 8-7 … [Read more...] about ‘We just kept fighting’: Jaguars rally from 2-0 deficit to defeat Ankeny in 5 sets

‘It was a rough day’: Hawkettes finish 2-3 at W-SR Invitational without top hitter

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Injuries have been a problem all season for the Ankeny volleyball team. Now, the Hawkettes are dealing with some sickness as well. Junior outside hitter Kamryn Scheib, who leads the team with 203 kills, was out of the lineup on Saturday as fifth-ranked Ankeny traveled to the Waverly-Shell Rock Invitational. "It was a rough day," said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about ‘It was a rough day’: Hawkettes finish 2-3 at W-SR Invitational without top hitter

‘They didn’t make many mistakes at all’: Waukee NW avenges 2 losses to Ankeny

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Liz Baethke has never seen anything like this. Her Ankeny volleyball program continues to be decimated by injuries. The fifth-ranked Hawkettes were swept by No. 3 Waukee Northwest on Tuesday at the AHS gym, where an Ankeny freshman earlier suffered an ACL tear. "I don't know what's happening here, but it's not good," Baethke said after the Wolves … [Read more...] about ‘They didn’t make many mistakes at all’: Waukee NW avenges 2 losses to Ankeny

‘We did what we needed to do’: Ankeny overcomes lack of energy to sweep SEP

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In a long season, there are some nights when the Ankeny volleyball team won't bring its "A" game. Tuesday was one of those nights. Still, the third-ranked Hawkettes rolled to a 25-21, 25-14, 25-16 victory at Southeast Polk in a CIML Conference match. "I was hoping for a little more energy," said Ankeny coach Liz Baethke. "We came in kind of flat, … [Read more...] about ‘We did what we needed to do’: Ankeny overcomes lack of energy to sweep SEP

‘It’s a different lineup every week’: Ankeny overcomes injuries to win Waukee title

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As the injuries continue to pile up for the Ankeny volleyball team, the Hawkettes have still managed to enjoy success on the court. Third-ranked Ankeny defended its title on Saturday at the Waukee Invitational with a 25-18, 25-19 victory over the host Warriors. The Hawkettes (16-7) defeated No. 15 Waukee (8-14) for the third time this season. "We … [Read more...] about ‘It’s a different lineup every week’: Ankeny overcomes injuries to win Waukee title

‘It was just a rough go’: Ailing Hawkettes post 3-2 record at Found Invitational

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It's a good time for the Ankeny volleyball team to regroup. The third-ranked Hawkettes went 3-2 on Saturday in the Caroline Found Invitational at Iowa City West. They will have a week off before returning to the court on Saturday at the Waukee Invitational. "I think the timing is going to benefit us so we can heal up and get back to 100 percent," said … [Read more...] about ‘It was just a rough go’: Ailing Hawkettes post 3-2 record at Found Invitational

‘It was just a complete team effort’: Ankeny outlasts No. 5 Dragons in 5 sets

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There's a reason why the top five teams in the Class 5A volleyball rankings are from the CIML Conference. On any given night, a squad that is unprepared for its CIML opponent can easily suffer a defeat. "Honestly, it's hard to call any match an upset because if you are just slightly off with any pieces of your 'A' game, you're going to lose," said … [Read more...] about ‘It was just a complete team effort’: Ankeny outlasts No. 5 Dragons in 5 sets

‘We just didn’t really play clean’: Ankeny spikers finish 3-2 at Marj White Classic

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Saturday's Marj White Classic at Valley showed just how many good volleyball teams are in the CIML Conference. The host Tigers, who entered the tournament ranked 10th in Class 5A with a 2-5 record, defeated all five of their opponents in the round-robin event to win the title. They closed out the day with a 21-15, 13-21, 15-12 victory over No. 3 … [Read more...] about ‘We just didn’t really play clean’: Ankeny spikers finish 3-2 at Marj White Classic

‘We came out with a lot of energy’: AHS racks up 12 aces in sweep over Waukee

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Baileigh Carlsen and Reagan Hanfelt each had three aces, their teammates combined for six more, and the Ankeny volleyball squad cruised to a 25-18, 25-15, 25-16 win over visiting Waukee on Tuesday. Carlsen also completed all 13 of her serves for the eighth-ranked Hawkettes, who went 70-of-74 from behind the line (94.6 percent) while raising their records … [Read more...] about ‘We came out with a lot of energy’: AHS racks up 12 aces in sweep over Waukee

Jaguars top Ankeny in semifinals, earn runner-up finish at Centennial Invite

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Saturday's Ankeny Centennial Invitational featured many of the state's top volleyball teams. Sixth-ranked Centennial defeated four ranked opponents, including No. 8 Ankeny, on its way to the championship match. Then, in the finals, the Jaguars dropped a 25-21, 25-17 decision to Dike-New Hartford--the No. 1 team in Class 2A. "It was an incredible day … [Read more...] about Jaguars top Ankeny in semifinals, earn runner-up finish at Centennial Invite

‘We have a long way to go’: Hawkettes drop opener at No. 2 Dowling in 4 sets

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Coach Liz Baethke knew that the season opener for her Ankeny volleyball team was going to be a tall task. Second-ranked Dowling Catholic, which features one of the state's top hitters in Mackenzie Dean and several other tall players, proved to be as formidable as she feared. The Maroons dropped the opening set on their home court before rallying to … [Read more...] about ‘We have a long way to go’: Hawkettes drop opener at No. 2 Dowling in 4 sets

Hawkettes enter season with high hopes despite injuries to Roush, Schrader

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It's been a rough start to the 2023 campaign for new head coach Liz Baethke and the Ankeny volleyball team. Baethke, who left Urbandale after 23 years to take over the Hawkettes' program, will begin the season without Ankeny's top two returning players. Senior right-side hitter Tanith Roush suffered a broken leg during the preseason, while senior outside … [Read more...] about Hawkettes enter season with high hopes despite injuries to Roush, Schrader

Longtime Urbandale coach Baethke hired to take over Ankeny volleyball program

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The new head coach of the Ankeny volleyball team is already familiar with the Hawkettes' program. Longtime Urbandale coach Liz Baethke has been hired to replace Dani Kohut Lynch, who guided Ankeny to a 35-5 record in her only season at the school. Baethke accepted the position more than a month ago, but her hiring wasn't approved by the school board until … [Read more...] about Longtime Urbandale coach Baethke hired to take over Ankeny volleyball program