Intro:

The Ankeny Hawkettes will take on the Waukee Northwest Wolves in the IGHSAU 5A Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the Xtream Arena in Coralville on Court 1 at 10 am.

The Hawks entered the tournament as the 5 seed after sweeping Cedar Rapids Kennedy in substate. Monday, Nov. 3, the Hawkettes took down the 4 seed Dowling Catholic in a thrilling 5-set victory in the Quarterfinals, on the same court where the 1 seed Wolves took down the Indianola Indians in dominating fashion. The Wolves have been a force to be reckoned with throughout the season, dropping only one game to Waukee in a weekend tournament. While historically the Hawkettes have won 9 of the last 14 meetings, Northwest has won the last three match ups, including two wins this season.

Team Breakdowns:

This season, the Hawkettes have taken advantage of a fairly balanced roster, with sophomores contributing significantly to the team. They enter their first semifinal appearance since 2021, 28-8. Coached by Liz Baethke, the Hawkettes have not had an easy season with 24 of their 33 opponents with a win percentage of above .500. Despite struggles at times the Hawkettes have achieved notable wins against, top ranked 3A Davenport Assumption, top ranked 2A Dike New Hartford, 2 seed Ankeny Centennial, and 4 seed Dowling Catholic.

The Hawkettes offense boasts 1085 assists, 1151 kills, 457 kill errors, 3195 kill attempts, and .217 kill efficiency. On the defensive side, they have 21 solo blocks, 326 block assists, 347 total blocks, and 1423 digs. Their serving this year has been an asset gifting the Hawkettes 210 serve aces, with a serve efficiency of 92.4 percent.

Waukee Northwest has drawn on the leadership of Drake Commit, Avery Vogt, throughout the season. Loaded with Division 1 talent, their junior class makes up the majority of their roster.
With a 36-1 record this season, they are currently on a 19-game win streak. Coached by Jodi Vogt, they have truly been impressive losing only one game, and dropping only 4 sets the entire season. It’s worth noting that the game lost to Waukee happened in a Saturday tournament, in that tournament, the sets were to 21 points and the matches, best of two. This format is different from the traditional format of a best of 5 match with each set going to 25 points.

The Wolves so far have recorded 1038 assists, 1122 kills, 346 Kill Errors, 2318 Kill Attempts, and .335 Kill Efficiency. On the defensive side, they have 30 solo blocks, 333 block assists, 363 total blocks, and 1119 digs. Their serving has been less impactful than the Hawkette’s with 177 serve aces, and a serve efficiency of 91.8%.

Key Players:

The Hawkettes have some strong players, including Hailey Wiederin, who was named player of the game by Bound Iowa. In the quarterfinals match against Dowling Catholic, she put up 18 kills in 40 attempts with a .275 kill efficiency. The Hawkettes also have notable players in Hailey Flanders, who leads Class 5A in Serve Aces, and Quinn Roush have the second most blocks in Class 5A with 123 blocks, one underneath the leader.

Hailey Wiederin, SO – 312 kills, 113 errors, 758 attempts, 0.263 kill effeciency (KE), 77 blocks, 36 digs

Marlee Ellison, JR – 224 kills, 88 errors, 725 attempts, 0.215 KE, 22 blocks, 225 digs, 31 aces, 289 successes, 310 attempts, 93.2 % serving accuracy

Quinn Roush, JR – 111 kills, 37 errors, 271 Attempts, 0.273 KE, 123 blocks, 15 digs

Hailey Flanders, SR – 1 error, 440 digs, 60 aces, 325 successes, 370 Attempts, 87.8 % serving accuracy

Raquel Risk, JR – 137 Kills, 54 Errors, 320 Attempts, 0.259 KE, 54 Blocks, 42 Digs, 8 Aces, 170 successes, 192 Attempts, 88.5% serving accuracy

Waukee Northwest has some deadly power in Leah Janulewicz, who was Bound Iowa’s player of the game in the Wolves’ game against Indianola. Waukee Northwest also has players like Avery Vogt who is 3rd in 5A for Assists with 831. Junior Piper Ladwig also helps the team offensively, leading class 5A in kill efficiency with a .428

Logan Vogt, JR – 320 kills, 126 errors, 689 attempts, 0.282 KE, 46 blocks, 163 digs, 30 aces, 260 successes, 283 attempts, 91.9% serving accuracy

Avery Cordes, SO – 177 kills, 62 errors, 343 attempts, 0.335 KE, 56 blocks, 82 digs, 22 aces, 170 successes, 200 attempts, 85% serving accuracy

Piper Ladwig, JR – 256 kills, 56 errors, 478 attempts, 0.418 KE, 70 blocks, 18 digs

Avery Vogt – 84 kills, 19 errors, 192 attempts, 0.339 KE, 40 blocks, 157 digs, 37 aces, 322 successes, 344 attempts, 93.6% serving accuracy

Cassidy Danburg, JR – 56 kills, 22 errors, 135 attempts, 0.252 KE, 24 blocks, 24 digs, 4 aces, 73 successes, 80 attempts, 91.3% serving accuracy

Things to Remember:

The Wolves have been hunting for the State Championship since week 1, and will not be easy to shut down, but the Hawkettes are battle tested and have shown they can handle tough match ups.

There’s no denying that the Wolves have what it takes to win a championship, but in the state tournament, there is not a single easy match up. The Hawkettes will need to be firing on all cylinders, as errors and missed serves will prove costly with Northwest looking to take advantage of every point given. The Hawkettes also will need to manage the momentum, as early in the sets the Wolves will be moving quickly, trying to get the energy flowing in their direction.

The Hawkettes have shown glimpses of brilliance throughout the year, and if there was ever a time for it, now is that time.

Look forward to a close game tomorrow at 10am at Xtream Arena in Coralville, or streaming for free on the IGHSAU website and YouTube channel.