5A Recap, Reaction: Waukee NW Tops Indianola

<!-- 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>Indianola raised eyebrows with its regional final win at Waukee last week. It was at it again Tuesday here at Xtream Arena in the quarterfinals of the state tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The place was buzzing as eighth-seeded Indianola jumped out to a fast start and led No. 1 Waukee Northwest midway through the first set. That's when the Wolves woke up, however.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northwest rallied to win the first set, 25-17, after Indianola was the first to 15 points. From there, the Wolves seemed to get better as the match wore on. They completed the sweep, taking the second and third sets, 25-16, and 25-12.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='389019' first='Avery' last='Vogt'], a Drake commitment, saw nerves affecting her team early on, as Indianola brought a large student section that was raucous early on with its squad rolling.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I think we just kind of settled down, and we played how we always play," she said about momentum switching in Northwest's favor following a slow start. &nbsp;"I think it was just settling into a big gym like that with a lot of people. We just needed to calm our nerves and play as a team." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vogt tallied 33 assists in the three sets. [player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Leah' last='Janulewicz'] led a balanced attack with 14 kills (.579), while [player_tooltip player_id='545971' first='Avery' last='Cordes'] contributed nine, and [player_tooltip player_id='490013' first='Logan' last='Vogt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='493601' first='Piper' last='Ladwig'] each added eight. [player_tooltip player_id='555820' first='London' last='Taylor'] came up with 11 digs, and [player_tooltip player_id='389019' first='Avery' last='Vogt'] had nine. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='807741' first='Lauren' last='Olson'] produced a team-best seven kills for Indianola, while [player_tooltip player_id='493609' first='Madison' last='Grover'] put down six. Julia McGraw came up with eight digs, and Kennedie Rumley had six.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northwest has been the favorite to win the state title since finishing second to Pleasant Valley at last year's state tournament. The Wolves have handled that pressure well, losing just one match in 2025, to rival Waukee, way back on Sept. 13 at the Southeast Polk tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They haven't talked much about expectations outside the locker room. The focus has been on playing their best volleyball and letting the results speak for themselves. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We talk a little bit about how you have to show up every game," Northwest coach Jodi Vogt said.&nbsp;"In the middle of the season, when we suffered a loss to Waukee, it was actually really good for our team. It made us realize we've got to show up to play every single match because everybody wants us to go down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"So discipline is a big part of how we do things, and the girls have done a really good job of that all season." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Next up for the Wolves will be Ankeny, a 3-2 winner against Dowling Catholic in another of Monday quarterfinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/LnfFIIsqQsM","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/LnfFIIsqQsM </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->