Massive block helps Centennial regain mojo, top Ankeny in a 5A state volleyball 5-setter

CORALVILLE — A two-set lead was gone. A laugher had turned into a dogfight.

How did Ankeny Centennial regain its edge?

Blocking.

Anna Sash and Jaeden Pratt formed a fifth-set wall, and second-ranked Centennial held off No. 7 Ankeny, 25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 14-25, 15-12, in a Class 5A quarterfinal at the state volleyball tournament Monday afternoon at Xtream Arena.

“The way we were serving, they had to go to their outside hitters,” Sash said. “All week, we worked on closing our block out there.”

Centennial (31-6) bested its crosstown rival for the third time this season and advanced to Wednesday’s semifinal against No. 3 Waukee Northwest (25-9).

First serve is 10:25 a.m.

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Ankeny (24-15) stormed back to tie the match with an emphatic Game 4 effort. But the Jaguars opened the fifth with the first three points.

“For sure, those first few points allowed us to get our confidence back,” Sash said.

Centennial led 5-4 when it went on a pivotal seven-point run to bust it open. Sash started it with a kill and two blocks.

Then it was a block and a kill from Pratt to make it 11-4.

At 14-7, Ankeny erased five match points before Sash’s kill closed it out.

“It’s good the way we bounced back,” Pratt said. “We practiced a lot on our blocking game the last couple of weeks, and we were able to set it up today.”

Delaney Miller led Centennial with 16 kills. Pratt added 10 kills, and Sash collected nine — and put up 9 1/2 of Centennial’s 16 blocks.

Kambria Leazer distributed 39 assists, and Mya Lei-Butters collected 26 digs.

Reagan Hanfelt had 16 kills for Ankeny; Kamryn Scheib added 14.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com