Ankeny Christian sweeps Holy Trinity, repeats as 1A state volleyball champion

CORALVILLE — What’s she going to do?

Set it? Dump it? Rear back and tattoo it?

With Katie Quick, it’s an ever-evolving mystery.

“It’s kind of instinct, and a matter of knowing the situation,” she said. “There was a point they gave us three straight free-balls. I went to one hitter, then another ...

“The third one, they weren’t expecting the dump.”

Creative, crafty and seemingly always a step ahead of the opposition, Quick was on full display as top-ranked Ankeny Christian repeated as the Class 1A state volleyball champion Thursday night at Xtream Arena.

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Ankeny Christian sweeps Holy Trinity, repeats as 1A champion

The Eagles swept No. 3 Fort Madison Holy Trinity, 25-21, 25-18, 25-17.

“There was more pressure on us this year,” said Quick, a junior and a Drake University commit. “We had a target on our backs, and we lived up to what everybody expected of us.”

Ankeny Christian finished 39-3 and won its last 29 matches.

“We stayed together and finished the job,” Carley Craighead said. “We’ve been wanting this all season.”

Quick was named the all-tournament captain and was joined by Craighead and ACA’s Macey Nehring, along with Holy Trinity’s Teagan Snaadt and Mary Kate Bendlage, Olivia Peters of Conrad BCLUW and Kinzee Hinders of Newell-Fonda.

Nehring led all attackers with 16 kills, and Craighead posted 13. Quick collected seven kills and 35 assists.

Bendlage paced Holy Trinity (33-11) with 11 kills.

Expectations won’t wane for the Eagles next year. Five starters are juniors, including all three of the all-tournament picks.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com