Takeaways: No. 6 Ankeny at No. 11 Ames

Ankeny, ranked No. 6 in 5A, played at No. 11 Ames on Tuesday, with the visiting Hawkettes winning 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-14) to improve to 23-10. Ames fell to 11-13. Here’s what stood out in the CIML match:   Prospect watch 6-foot-0 lefty setter Phyona Schrader is the type of volleyball player coaches dream about: a good passer, who is also a long, capable offensive weapon. Only a sophomore, Schrader has already verbally committed to Notre Dame. Heading into Tuesday’s match, Schrader had piled up 504 assists on the season, while also averaging 1.9 kills per set. Against Ames, she notched 6 kills, including one dump. That dump was nifty, and no one was happier than Ankeny libero Kaci Behrens. Immediately after Schrader successfully dumped the ball, the 6-footer and the 5-foot-4 Behrens embraced in a gleeful hug. While the dump showed her skill, one of her kills highlighted her size and strength. Standing flat-flooted, Schrader jumped and powered an out-of-system ball through the Ames defense. That point quelled an Ames rally and made the score 24-21 in the first set. She also, of course, has good ball skills. She missed on a couple of sets, but generally passed well. From a serving standpoint, this season, she has nearly as many service errors (19) as aces (21), and served out twice on Tuesday. Even still, her serve is heavy and tough to handle when hit accurately.   Hawkette hitters Ankeny has three hitters with over 150 kills on the year and each one showed their style against Ames. Leading the pack is Isabelle Vacek, who had a match-high 12 kills on Tuesday. The 5-foot-11 junior is hitting over .300 this season and will usually draw college attention for her ability to get above the ball and hit hard. She also impressed with her hustle. Her kill in the third set sealed the victory for Ankeny. https://x.com/HayesGardner/status/1044753523622195200 Senior Taylor Richards added 4 kills in the match (including the first set-winning kill), but wowed with her service. Whenever Ankeny gets an ace, the team does a goofy dance in a circle, kicking their feet out and pointing at the ground. They did that quite a bit when Richards’ served, as she posted 6 aces in the match, bringing her season total to 36. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter served the ball hard and with deadly accuracy. In the third set, she put together three aces in a row. Not quite as tall as other hitters, 5-foot-8 Malea Daugherty packs a powerful punch and swings hard from the front and back row. The springy junior contributed 7 kills. 6-foot-1 senior Sara McCullough also added 6 kills, but she’s probably even more valuable as a blocker, leading the team in blocks. Ankeny hitting their stride Returning eight regular starters from last season, the Hawkettes came in with high expectations this season. After Tuesday’s victory, Ankeny has won seven straight, and they’ve lost just twice in their last 14 matches, with those two losses coming to the No. 1 team in 4A (Sergeant Bluff-Luton) and the No. 3 team in 5A (Valley). The Hawkettes have capable hitters and a super-talented setter, but also have a good libero in Kaci Behrens. She is second in the state of Iowa in digs, and can also pass and serve well, too. Ames coach Peter Cruz had high praise for the Hawkettes. “Ankeny is sixth or seventh in the state and probably, I think, should be a little bit higher,” he said. The Little Cyclones’ MVP Ames was led on Tuesday by 6-foot-1 senior Katelyn Courtney, who contributed 8 kills and 3 solo blocks. Some of her kills came on traditional hits, but she also, wisely, read the defense and tipped the ball to the back row on multiple occasions. She is getting some small college looks. https://x.com/HayesGardner/status/1044743147836907522 Depleted Ames Playing without two regular contributors, Ames was still competitive. Starting libero Savannah Perry — a Colorado commit who leads 5A in aces per set with 0.87 — broke her wrist last week, ending her senior season, and setter Breanna Schumer suffered a concussion. But the Little Cyclones did not roll over. They trailed 8-0 in the first set before fighting back to tie it at 14, but eventually fell in the set and then the match. “I’m really proud of the way we played. I think that’s one of the best matches we’ve played this year,” Cruz said. Kenna Redies pitched in 13 assists and 6 digs and Megan Inman added 2 aces.