5A Recap, Reaction: Centennial Bests Iowa City West

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code:&nbsp;howe30&nbsp;in the coupon code area</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CORALVILLE - </strong>Ankeny Centennial felt itself being pushed by underdog Iowa City West during the Class 5A state tournament quarterfinals Monday afternoon here at Xtream Arena. To relieve pressure, the Jaguars stayed loose. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"(The pressure) is inherent (at state). It's how we deal with it," senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='389060' first='Tatem' last='Schmidt'] said. "We turn it into excitement. We have fun and enjoy it with everyone here supporting us." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winning on the big stage also is fun, as Centennial discovered in advancing past the Trojans in three sets (25-23, 25-17, 25-23). West led late in the third set before a rally by the Jaguars fueled, in part, by an impactful [player_tooltip player_id='827838' first='Sophia' last='Heither'] block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We locked in during those last few points when we were pushed and just made sure we did our jobs," Centennial coach Jessica Rinehart said. "Sophia with the block. The server finished the serve, not rushing. We did a good job finishing points." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior setters Schmidt and [player_tooltip player_id='261083' first='Maegan' last='Cheeseman'] were their usual outstanding selves for the winners. They combined for 21 kills, 32 assists and 20 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Serving tough from the service line and just staying in system so we could get our big swings away" was what Cheeseman attributed to her squad rising above the adversity in the third set. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heither added eight kills and produced a team-best 3.0 blocks. [player_tooltip player_id='261088' first='Mya' last='Lei-Butters'] came up with 19 digs, and [player_tooltip player_id='808135' first='Ellie' last='Pollock'] added 16 for the Jaguars, who will face West Des Moines Valley in Wednesday's semifinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a tough end for West, but the Trojans could hold their heads high after giving an outstanding effort on Monday. They bring back everybody in the rotation next year and are motivated for more in 2026 after making to state for the first time in nine seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"All of our starters will be back, and we're excited for that," junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='360642' first='Sophia' last='Austen'] said. "We're going to have this in the back of our minds. It's going to sting but also use that as fuel next year." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Austen led the Trojans with 16 kills, and she added eight digs. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='754657' first='Cyan' last='Blommer'] chipped in with 11 kills and contributed 17 digs. [player_tooltip player_id='540833' first='Izzie' last='McDonald']'s 23 digs were a team high. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/WFjkBo1ibIE","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/WFjkBo1ibIE </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/rEeFCiCgKnY","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/rEeFCiCgKnY </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->