The Hawkette’s semifinal finish was the final step in a long season. Ankeny finished fourth in their conference with a 5-3 record in the extremely competitive CIML (Central Iowa Metropolitan League), which saw four of its members in the 5A state semifinals.

“Leading the off-season work in the weight room and on the court, made all the difference,” said third-year head coach Liz Baethke.

Baethke’s squad has been competing in camps and scrimmages since June, working to build chemistry and connection before the official start of the season.

“We’ve worked all summer to be able to work together and have a good flow as a team,” said senior setter Miya Steinkamp. 

Steinkamp was a key piece in the Hawkette’s success this season, starting all 37 matchups and leading Ankeny’s offense with 577 assists in the season. Seniors like Steinkamp helped the Hawkettes mesh together with a new batch of underclassmen who were getting their first tastes of varsity experience.

“We didn’t have much drama on our team, all of the seniors this year were really good leaders and really helpful to underclassmen,” said sophomore right side hitter Hailey Weideren.

Weideren’s first varsity season saw her leading the Hawkettes in kills with 319 and finishing second in blocks with 80, behind junior Quinn Roush, another varsity newcomer.

“We were all one team and everybody was included and there wasn’t this one group of people who were always hanging out, it was everybody,” said Roush.

The team chemistry helped the Hawkettes get a few key wins over the course of the season, one of them coming over crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial.

“The win against Centennial was a turning point. It proved how well we can play,” said Baethke.

Ankeny beat their rivals for the first time since 2022, showing that they could win big games against top opponents.

“I think knowing that we could be a really good team was just like a really big motivation,” said Steinkamp. “It was helpful to get us through the rest of the season and get excited for state.”

The team motto, “with each other, for each other,” also provided motivation for the Hawkettes to play their best for their teammates.

“One thing was we were playing for each other,” said Roush. “This year, even at tournaments and scrimmages, I feel like we were already kind of showing that we were going to win this with each other for each other.”

Heading into the regional semifinals, the Hawkettes had won four straight matches and were beginning to find a rhythm. They dominated their regional matchups, defeating both Marshalltown and Cedar Rapids Kennedy in straight sets to set up a rematch with Dowling Catholic. The Maroons defeated Ankeny in their only regular-season meeting in four sets, so the Hawkettes knew they would have to make some adjustments.

“We did a ton of scouting and watched film. The players made great adjustments as well. We also incorporated a lot of fast-paced, high-intensity drills in practice,” said Baethke.

Ankeny would get their revenge in a five-set thriller in the first round of the 5A state championships to advance to the semi-finals, guaranteeing the Hawkette’s highest finish since 2021.

“We haven’t really made it to the semifinals in a few years, so it’s been a little bit of a mental block, and we really wanted to get past that,” said Weideren.

Ankeny advanced to play another familiar foe in Waukee Northwest. The Wolves only dropped one match during the regular season, but that didn’t change the Hawkette’s mentality.

“If you go in with the mindset that you’re going to get crushed, you’re going to get crushed, but if you go in with some sort of positive attitude and good mindset, you’ll play a good game, and that’s what we did against all those good teams,” said Roush.

The Hawkettes battled from start to finish, but Northwest would go on to get the victory in three sets. This would be the final high school volleyball match for 10 seniors, but the lessons will stick with them.

“I had a lot of fun and I grew a lot, not only through volleyball, but through my leadership and communication skills,” said Steinkamp.

This season also provided new experiences for the underclassmen that they will be able to take into their next years in the program.

“It doesn’t matter who your matchups are because you can always find a way to beat them,” said Roush. “I feel like my younger self wouldn’t believe that I would be in the spot that I am because she thought that she was too small or too little to do it.”