The No. 1 Waukee Northwest volleyball team rolled to its 20th consecutive sweep with a 3-0 win (25-12, 25-15, 25-20) over No. 5 Ankeny in the Iowa high school volleyball tournament semifinals on Nov. 5.
The Wolves (37-1) advanced to the Class 5A state championship match for the third season in a row.
“I also think it’s such a dream team,” said Northwest junior Leah Janulewicz. “It’s just such an amazing team to be on … we have such a tight bond with each other and it’s just so amazing.”
Two days removed from its sweep over Indianola in the state quarterfinals, the Wolves picked up where they left off against the Hawks.
Waukee Northwest jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set and forced Ankeny to call an early timeout. Janulewicz earned back-to-back kills before she notched a serve ace that gave the Wolves a 4-1 advantage. The Hawks answered with a kill, but the Wolves rattled off three straight points: a kill by Piper Ladwig, a serve ace by London Taylor and a kill by Logan Vogt.
The Hawks went down by double digits, 22-12, courtesy of a kill by Avery Vogt with an assist from Janulewicz. The Wolves closed out the frame with a block, an ace and a kill. Ankeny couldn’t match the firepower that Waukee Northwest tossed its way in the opening frame. The Hawks totaled eight kills at .120 efficiency with five attack errors.
Ankeny managed to take an early 3-2 lead in the second set, but the Wolves countered with a 3-0 surge to regain momentum. The Hawks cut their deficit, 14-12, with a 5-1 run, but the Wolves were always one step ahead. Back-to-back kills from Ladwig, assisted by Avery Vogt, capped off a 10-2 run to close out the second frame in favor of the Wolves.
The Hawks put the Wolves on the ropes in the third frame. Back-to-back kills by Raquel Risk, followed by another strike by Marlee Ellison, made it 9-1 in favor of Ankeny. But the top team in 5A wouldn’t bow down. They took their first lead of the frame with a kill by Ladwig before Avery Vogt notched a serve ace that put Waukee Northwest in front, 16-14. The Wolves led the rest of the way, securing a 25-20 win in the third set.
“That’s what I love about this team … I don’t get too rattled when they’re down because they can work themselves back into it,” said Northwest coach Jodi Vogt. “They hold their composure. They’re gritty too, they’re going to fight back. They’re not going to roll over.”
Avery Vogt led the match with 38 assists, while Logan Vogt hit a match-high 19 kills. Taylor chipped in 16 digs for Northwest. Macie Kohl led Ankeny with 11 assists, while Hailey Wiederin posted a team-high seven kills.
The Hawks were eliminated in state title contention by the Wolves for the second season in a row. They still managed to earn a state tournament berth for the eighth consecutive season, having returned two starters from their 2024 squad.
“On that third set, we were executing — we were all supporting each other,” said Ankeny senior setter Miya Steinkamp. “I don’t think we were nervous … we just wanted to win it and we had nothing to lose. Northwest is a great team and they did great, but I am so proud of what we left on the court.”
The Wolves, last season’s state runners-up, are on a mission to reclaim state championship glory. They’ll face Ankeny Centennial (34-5) in the 5A finals on Nov. 6 at 10 a.m.
“Last year, obviously, we fell short in the championship, but this year we are so ready to go and I think we’re pretty prepared,” Janulewicz said.
Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Waukee Northwest blanks Ankeny, advances to Iowa high school volleyball state title match
Reporting by Marc Ray, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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