Ankeny rallies for five-set win to down Linn-Mar

CEDAR RAPIDS — Ankeny had its back against the wall.

The Hawkettes came out swinging, specifically from the right side of their front line.

Aly Ballenger tallied 27 kills and Kailey Hunt added 17, helping Ankeny pull off a 16-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-17, 15-7 come-from-behind victory over Linn-Mar Tuesday in Class 5A state volleyball quarterfinals at the U.S. Cellular Center. The Hawkettes (38-5) advance to face top-ranked Cedar Falls (39-3) Thursday at 10 a.m.

'All season we talked about playing for each other,' Ankeny Coach Joe Morton said. 'Play for the name on your back.

'On their shoes, they have a little friendship bracelet and part of it is a heart. We looked at that and talked about pulling our heart out and playing for each other.'

The Hawkettes rallied around each other. Not only were they down two sets, but they started the third set in a 3-0 hole. The pendulum swung to their side and they scored seven straight points for a 14-9 advantage.

'It was a next-point mentality,' Ballenger said. 'Every point counts (but) if you make a mistake it's OK. Just go to the next point and keep pushing.'

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Ankeny added another 10-1 run in that third set and a seven-point run in the fourth for a 9-4 lead. Ballenger had four kills in that stretch, while Hunt forced a fifth set with a kill to cap a five-point rally.

'They got the momentum,' Linn-Mar Coach Teresa Bair said. 'They moved their lineup around a little bit. We couldn't shut down their right side.'

'I think it was their aggressiveness,' Linn-Mar's Megan Rener said. 'Theirs went higher and ours went down. Momentum was with them.'

Once the Hawkettes were able to get the service game going, the rest of their offense fell into place.

'We started serving well,' Ballenger said. 'We got momentum. We kept them out of their rhythm. We were able to do what we wanted to do on our side.'

Bair said Ankeny's outside hitters hurt them,

'We're just small on the outside,' Bair said. 'She was hitting over the top of us. Nothing you can do.'

The Lions executed in the opening two sets but were out of sorts the final three. They couldn't produce the same runs that got them to the early lead. Bair tried to get them refocused during timeouts but they were unable to stem the tide against them.

'The kids played hard,' Bair said. 'I think the emotions caught up with them. We came out with a bang but couldn't sustain the bang.'

Ankeny took control of the final set, scoring the first five points. It never looked back and moves into the semifinals. Only three Hawkettes came in with state experience and now they are a win from the final.

'I can't say enough about our senior leadership,' Morton said. 'It's been phenomenal. They're a big reason we're here and playing the way we are.'

The Lions finished the season 33-9. The loss doesn't diminish what they have accomplished this season and during Bair's four-year tenure at Linn-Mar.

'They've come so far since I've been here,' Bair said. 'It's been amazing to watch.'

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