Recap, Reaction: Waukee Northwest Nets 4th Title in 3 Years

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: howe30 in the coupon code area</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CORALVILLE -</strong> Dynasty? Yeah, Waukee Northwest fits the desciption.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top-seeded Wolves swept No. 2 Dallas Center-Grimes in Thursday morning's Class 5A State Championship match here at Xtream Arena. It was their second title in a row and third in the last four years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northwest has been particularly dominant the last two seasons, compiling a 71-3 record with only two of the setbacks coming against Iowa teams. The Wolves swept through the six state matches played here in 2025 and 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Iowa State commitment [player_tooltip player_id='490013' first='Logan' last='Vogt'] was named the outstanding player of the 5A tournament for a second year in the row. She led the winners Thursday with 16 kills and seven digs. [player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Leah' last='Janulewicz'], a Drake pledge, delivered 10 kills and 13 digs in earning all-tournament recognition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='493601' first='Piper' last='Ladwig'], who also was on the all-tournament squad, and [player_tooltip player_id='545971' first='Avery' last='Cordes'] produced 10 and seven kills, respectively, in the win. [player_tooltip player_id='1006334' first='Kennedy' last='Jackson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='730468' first='Lyla' last='Nelson'] teamed up for 43 assists, and [player_tooltip player_id='555820' first='London' last='Taylor'] came up with a match-best 16 digs. Northwest hit .342 with 14 blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs finished a historic season with its first trip to the title match and a 35-3 record with two losses to Northwest and one to 4A finalist Norwalk. [player_tooltip player_id='493973' first='Gwen' last='Farley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='730390' first='Ava' last='Smid'] were named to the all-tournament team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Farley, who's headed to Valparaiso next year, finished her storied prep career with a flourish. She 26 assist, nine digs and a pair of kills on Thursday. Smid, a junior, led DCG with 10 kills and 11 digs. [player_tooltip player_id='729146' first='Anna' last='Jackson'] had nine digs, and [player_tooltip player_id='766068' first='Madison' last='Messerly'] contributed six kills and eight digs. The Mustangs hit .140 with seven blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The favorite imposed its will early in Thursday's match, powering to a 17-7, first-set advantage. Dallas Center-Grimes ran off four points in a row before a couple of Vogt kills helped the champs go up 20-11 on the way to winning, 25-13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vogt led the first-set barrage with seven kills (.500), and Janulewicz produced four (.571). Northwest hit .452 to the Mustangs' .121 in the opening stanza. The Wolves also delivered three service aces. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DCG came out with a spark in Set 2, grabbing an 8-6 lead. The Wolves responded, streaking to 17-12 advantage, but DCG scored the next four points to force a Northwest timeout. The break worked. The champs scored the next six points en route to a 25-19, second-set win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs raced out to an 8-6 lead in Set 3 only to see Northwest score six of the match's next seven points. DCG stayed within striking distance for a bit before the Wolves forced a timeout by building a 19-15 advantage. They'd close it out, 25-19. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The dynasty will be challenged to replace a lot of talent lost to graduation next year. Vogt, Ladwig, Janulewicz, Taylor and [player_tooltip player_id='555796' first='Lydia' last='Burrell'] all will be moving onto to college. There's plenty of punch returning, led by Cordes, and reinforcements coming up in the program to keep the train running, however.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/qAWjRsEHiPo","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/qAWjRsEHiPo </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/U6xTo05962w","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/U6xTo05962w </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->