5A Recap, Reaction: Northwest One Win Away

<!-- 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> Waukee Northwest didn't reinvent the wheel or come up with a novel idea on how to win Tuesday's Class 5A state semifinal match against CIML foe Ankeny. The Wolverines took care of business as they had all season in earning the top seed after mowing down competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"Honestly, everybody just did their job," coach Jodi Vogt said. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And with the talent on their roster, that's most often times going to be enough. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northwest tamed the Hawks Tuesday by the same 3-0 score it had during their conference match in early October. The latest victory came by a score of 25-12, 25-15, 25-20. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"They're a good team," Wolverine setter [player_tooltip player_id='389019' first='Avery' last='Vogt'] said. "Just making sure we kept our eye on the prize and making sure we were staying focused the whole time, even when we did get down a little bit, not panicking and staying collective the whole time was real important." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ankeny had upset on its mind with another chance at mighty Northwest. The favorite quickly erased the idea of being upset. The Hawks pushed in the third set, but the winners just pushed back harder. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wolverines attacked on offense and defense. Valley played hard, like it did against PV, but executing against a deep and talented opponent was rough. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I think we had so much adrenaline and energy," junior [player_tooltip player_id='490011' first='Leah' last='Janulewicz'] said. "We were just ready to get out there and play and get it done, and that's what happened." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What makes Northwest hard to beat is that it comes at the opponent with weapons all around the court. Collectively, the Wolverines haven't flinched as the prohibitive favorite to win their second state championship in three years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"The team, they always rise to the occasion. I love it. Every single one of them has such a valuable role on the team and they can step up at any time," Jodi Vogt said. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='490013' first='Logan' last='Vogt'] paced Northwest with 19 kills Tuesday, while [player_tooltip player_id='493601' first='Piper' last='Ladwig'] delivered 10. Janulewicz produced eight kills and 13 digs, while [player_tooltip player_id='389019' first='Avery' last='Vogt'] handed out 38 assists. [player_tooltip player_id='555820' first='London' last='Taylor'] came up with 16 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='730419' first='Hailey' last='Wiederin']'s seven kills led the Hawks. [player_tooltip player_id='555797' first='Marlee' last='Ellison'] and [player_tooltip player_id='490016' first='Raquel' last='Risk'] had five apiece, and [player_tooltip player_id='389074' first='Hailey' last='Flanders'] posted 10 digs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northwest will take on another CIML rival in Ankeny Centennial in Thursday's championship match. The Wolverines are 4-0 in head-to-head meetings this season, including a five-set triumph early in the campaign. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We just tell the girls - remember what your goal is. Don't get distracted by all the outside noise," Jodi Vogt said. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/QCqpms_Ri-0","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/QCqpms_Ri-0 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://youtu.be/vIkMvTtKVRA","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/vIkMvTtKVRA </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->