Late burst lifts Ankeny over West Des Moines Dowling in state volleyball

CORALVILLE — In a volleyball match where both teams are going back and forth with each other, it often comes down to a key moment or two.

Case in point: Monday's Class 5A state quarterfinal between No. 6 Ankeny and No. 5 West Des Moines Dowling.

The teams played on even terms into a fifth set with Ankeny leading 11-10. On the next two points, the Maroons failed to connect on sets to their hitters and that proved to be the difference as the Hawks avenged a regular-season loss with an 18-25, 25-17, 17-25, 25-17, 15-11 win at Xtream Arena.

Ankeny (27-8) will meet No. 1 Waukee Northwest in a Wednesday morning 10 a.m. semifinal. The Wolves advanced with a straight set win over Indianola.

The Hawks are in their eighth straight state tournament with a young team, with just two starters back from last year's state team. Coach Elizabeth Baethke said her 2025 team has stepped up to the challenge.

"We graduated a lot of seniors, but I really felt we had a solid nucleus," she said. "I've noticed over the past few weeks that we have really developed that layer of toughness.

"It was that mindset that got us through today. We're not getting rattled right now, sticking with the game plan and that is key."

Dowling was impressive in winning both the first and third sets only to see the Hawks respond in the second and fourth sets.

"I think what it came down to in the end was our scrappy defense," said Ankeny sophomore Hailey Wiederin, who had a match-high 18 kills. "It got really close at the end and we just had to push through."

In the decisive fifth set, Dowling jumped to a 4-2 lead. Ankeny then scored six straight only to see the Maroons fight back to an 11-10 deficit.

At that point, Dowling's passing betrayed them, leading to two straight for the Hawks, who then went on to quickly close out the match.

"Really, we were two evenly matched teams," said Dowling Coach Mary Beth Wiskus. "In the end, we just made too many errors. On those points (in the fifth set) we had a little miscommunication and sometimes that just happens."

Hailey Flanders was strong on defense for the Hawks, finishing with 36 digs. Tessa Holtorf and Jaya Morrow led the Dowling offense with 23 and 21 kills respectively.

Wiederin said she and her teammates are anxious for the chance to play Northwest.

"They are obviously a very strong team," she said. "We just have to come out and give them everything we've got."