5A Semifinals: Northwest-Centennial Recap, Reaction

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://ighsau.org/upl/downloads/library/volleyball-2024-5a6.pdf">Box Score</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/QSOeUypvIrw","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/QSOeUypvIrw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CORALVILLE, Iowa - </strong>Somebody forgot to tell Waukee Northwest that it was a rebuilding year. The defending-state champion Wolves will defend their title Thursday against top-seeded Pleasant Valley. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 6 Northwest fought for a 3-2 victory against second-seeded Ankeny Centennial in a Class 5A semifinal on Wednesday. The Wolves swept No. 3 Ankeny here on Monday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They took the first two sets against Centennial only to see the Jaguars rally for a 2-2 tie. One might think a young team would wilt under the press of the fifth set. That's not Northwest. It embraces the competition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We're just having so much fun out there," Northwest right-side hitter [player_tooltip player_id='493601' first='Piper' last='Ladwig'] said. "It's just about having so much fun. We don't get uncomfortable because we know we were the underdogs for the past couple games. We weren't expected to win. It was just fun playing out there."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After dropping sets three and four to a veteran Centennial squad, the Wolves raced to a 4-0 lead in the third set. The Jaguars rallied to tie it 12-12. The teams exchanged points until they got to 16-16. Another chance to unravel presented itself for Northwest, but it looks comfortable being uncomfortable. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='545971' first='Avery' last='Cordes'] set up the Wolves' fourth match point with a kill. An [player_tooltip player_id='389065' first='Anna' last='Pelds'] push shot to the deep corner sealed the 18-16 set win and a chance to go back-to-back. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We have a ton of athletic competitors on our team," Northwest coach Jodi Vogt said. "That's what I love about this group. They love to compete in multi-sports, so they've been in that environment where it feels like you have to score the next point or make the next basket to win a game. And they do it. They show up and do it." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='490013' first='Logan' last='Vogt'] stood out for the winners with a team-best 17 kills to go with 15 digs. Cordes, [player_tooltip player_id='493601' first='Piper' last='Ladwig'] and Cassidy Danberg teamed up for 26 kills, and [player_tooltip player_id='389019' first='Avery' last='Vogt'] dished out 44 assists. [player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Leah' last='Janulewicz'] came up with 31 digs and added nine kills, and [player_tooltip player_id='555820' first='London' last='Taylor'] had 16 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The dynamic senior duo of [player_tooltip player_id='215464' first='Delaney' last='Miller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='215425' first='Jaeden' last='Pratt'] each pounded out 21 kills for Centennial. [player_tooltip player_id='261083' first='Maegan' last='Cheeseman'] handed out 50 assists, and Mia Lei-Butters recorded 31 digs in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/HH3yZSXma8U","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/HH3yZSXma8U </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->