Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The Field

No. 1 Liberty High (30-8) vs. No. 11 Urbandale (16-19)

Liberty High returns to the state tournament for the fourth consecutive season seeking the first title in program history.

The Lightning lost quarterfinal matches in 2019 and reached the 5A title game in 2020 before falling to Johnston in a 5A quarterfinal last season.

Liberty High has faced one of the most challenging schedules in the state this season with 29 of its 38 matches coming against ranked teams.

The Lightning are 21-8 in those games including a 10-7 mark against top-five ranked teams and a 6-5 record against teams in the Class 5A state tournament field.

Leading the way for Liberty High is a strong senior class led by returning first-team all-state picks Cassidy Hartman and Shelby Kimm.

A Northern Iowa recruit, Hartman leads the team with 469 kills while Kimm is second on the team with 302 kills.

Senior Lilah VanScoyoc has had a strong season with 191 kills while junior middle Gracie Hennings leads the Lightning with 52 blocks.

Sophomore setter Asta Hildebrand runs the Lightning attack and has 769 assists and 79 kills while senior Isabelle Mehmen has 306 digs.

Urbandale is making a second consecutive state tournament appearance after falling to Ankeny in the opening round last season.

The J-Hawks returned to the state tournament with a five-set win over fifth-ranked defending runner-up Cedar Falls in the regional final.

Urbandale is 2-8 against teams in the 5A tournament field with both wins coming against seventh-ranked Waukee Northwest.

The J-Hawks have one of the most dynamic hitters in the state in senior Northern Iowa recruit Lily Dykstra.

Dykstra leads 5A and ranks seventh in the state with 530 kills while hitting .301.

Senior Lauren Nepper has added 201 kills for Urbandale while Dennan Rew has a team-high 48 blocks.

No. 4 West Des Moines Dowling (31-9) vs. No. 6 Ankeny Centennial (29-9)

Two of the most successful programs in the state over the last decade meet in a winner-take-all rubber match that decides the season series and sends the winner to the state semifinals.

The two teams split a pair of regular season matches with West Des Moines Dowling early a five-set win on September 6 while Ankeny Centennial swept the Maroons in a two-set victory at the season-opening Dallas Center-Grimes Invite.

Both teams have been state tournament regulars over the last decade.

Ankeny Centennial is making its third consecutive appearance at state and its ninth in the last 10 seasons.

The Jaguars won state titles in 2014, 2015, 2015 and 2018 but were bounced from the state tournament with a quarterfinal loss to Pleasant Valley last year.

Five players have more than 130 kills for Ankeny Centennial led by sophomores Delaney Miller (250) and Jaeden Pratt (194).

West Des Moines Dowling is appearing in the state tournament for the 11^th consecutive season which is the second longest active streak in the state and the second longest consecutive streak among large schools in state history behind the 13 consecutive appearances by Ankeny.

The Maroons are still seeking their first ever state title after falling to Cedar Falls in the quarterfinals last season.

West Des Moines Dowling has played 16 matches against 5A state qualifiers this season tied with Waukee Northwest for the most in the 5A field going 10-6 in those matches.

Junior Mackenzie Dean leads West Des Moines Dowling with 375 kills while seniors Emma Tallman (200) and Megan Frischmeyer (183) each have more than 180 kills.

Freshman Ellie Muller has a team-high 111 blocks while Tallman has 107 blocks.

No. 2 Ankeny (35-4) vs. No. 10 West Des Moines Valley (21-20)

Two more frequent state tournament qualifiers and conference rivals meet in the second of two all-CIML quarterfinals.

This will be the fourth meeting of the season between these two perennial powers with Ankeny winning each of the first three matches against the Tigers while losing just one set in the process.

Ankeny is appearing at the state meet for the fifth consecutive season and is seeking its seventh state title and first since 2010.

The Hawks fell to Pleasant Valley in the 5A semifinals a year ago and enter as the hottest team in 5A riding a 17-match winning streak that dates back to September 10.

Ankeny is 12-3 against teams in the 5A field with losses to West Des Moines Dowling and top-ranked Liberty High to go with a loss to 2A top-ranked Dike-New Hartford.

Four different Ankeny players have at least 192 kills led by junior Aowyn Schrader with a team-high 310.

Juniors Tanith Roush has 277 kills and seniors Parker Olson (216) and Myra Carlson (192) both are over 190 kills on the season.

West Des Moines Valley had a string of five consecutive state appearances snapped last season but returned to the state tournament with a thrilling five-set regional final win over eighth-ranked Johnston.

Of the 20 losses for West Des Moines Valley this season 11 have come to teams in the 5A state tournament field.

The Tigers have six players with at least 100 kills this season led by junior Elise Jaeger with 230 kills and senior Brynne Katcher with 211 kills.

Freshman Kaelyn Wieland (184), senior Brenna Gion (178) freshman Thia Raridon (127) and junior Finley McAndrew (123) all have triple digit kills.

Jaeger leads the Tigers with 55 kills while Gion has a team-high 41 ace serves.

No. 3 Pleasant Valley (27-6) vs. No. 7 Waukee Northwest (28-12)

Defending state champion Pleasant Valley returns to the state tournament for the fourth consecutive season attempting to become the first 5A team to repeat since Ankeny Centennial won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.

Pleasant Valley brings an 11-match winning streak into the state tournament after defeating No. 15 Dubuque Senior in straight sets in the regional final.

The Spartans are 3-1 against teams in the 5A tournament field with the lone loss coming to top-ranked Liberty High.

Senior Halle Vice leads four Spartans with at least 150 kills with a team-high 243 while senior Chloe Cline has 241 kills.

Senior Siena Roethler is among the top setters in 5A and has 801 assists, 65 kills and 39 blocks.

Waukee Northwest earned the first state title trip in program history with a sweep of ninth-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy in the regional final.

The Wolves are 6-10 against teams in the Class 5A tournament field with wins over Liberty High, Ankeny Centennial and West Des Moines Valley.

Junior Chloe Jones leads three players with more than 200 kills with a team-high 240 kills.

Juniors Katrina Pelds (223) and Kamryn Vogt (215) each have more than 200 kills while junior Chloee Hayes has 195 kills.

The Faces

Liberty High: Cassidy Hartman, 6-1, Sr. – An elite all-state pick last season Hartman ranks second in 5A with 469, is hitting .363 and ranks second on the team with 352 digs and 39 blocks.

Urbandale: Lily Dykstra, 6-0, Sr. – A Northern Iowa recruit Dykstra was an elite all-state pick a year ago and leads 5A with 530 kills while hitting .301 this season, has a team-high 33 ace serves and ranks second on the team with 221 digs and 46 blocks.

Mackenzie Dean: 6-2, Jr., West Des Moines Dowling – A Kansas commit, Dean ranks fifth in 5A with 375 kills leads the Maroons with 39 ace serves and is third on the team with 122 digs and 58 blocks.

Pleasant Valley: Siena Roethler, 5-10, Sr. – The latest in a long line of great Pleasant Valley setters Roethler ranks fourth in 5A with 801 assists and has 65 kills, 39 blocks and 182 digs.

Waukee Northwest: Brooklyn Halbur, 5-4, Sr. – The 5A dig leader with 602 Halbur also leads the Wolves with 37 ace serves.

Ankeny: Aowyn Schrader, 6-1, Jr., Ankeny – An honorable mention all-stater a year ago Schrader leads the Hawks with 310 kills on .314 hitting and has 32 blocks.

West Des Moines Valley: Elise Jaeger, 6-0, Jr. – Also a standout basketball player, Jaeger leads the Tigers with 230 kills and 55 blocks.

Ankeny Centennial: Jaeden Pratt, 5-8, Soph. – Part of a dangerous sophomore duo with classmate Delaney Miller, Pratt leads the Jaguars with 87 blocks and is second on the team with 194 kills on .352 hitting.

The Favorite

Ankeny has the best record (34-5), the most regular season wins against 5A qualifiers (12) and the most previous state tournament success (6 titles) of any team in the 5A field.

Still the favorite tag belongs to top-ranked Liberty High.

The Lightning are playing close to home at Xtream Arena in Coralville have a dangerous hitting duo in seniors Shelby Kimm and Cassidy Hartman to lead a roster loaded with postseason experience.

It feels like the Lightning are the team to beat in what is a balanced field from top to bottom.

The Forecast

With a pair of opening-round rematches between conference rivals the 5A tournament could be as unpredictable as any of the five tournaments this week.

Liberty High is seeking a second semifinal trip in the last three seasons could get a fifth meeting with West Des Moines Dowling in the semifinals.

Ankeny is the favorite to emerge from the bottom half of the bracket and could set up a rematch of the 2020 title game if it faces Liberty High in the championship.

The Focus

These teams know each other well. Very well.

There are six CIML teams in the field with a pair of all-CIML quarterfinals.

Seven of the teams in the 5A field have pleased at least 10 games against other 5A qualifiers this season.

Dowling and Waukee Northwest have each played 16 matches against teams in the 5A field while Ankeny and West Des Moines Valley have 15 matches against the rest of the 5A qualifiers.

All that familiarity should make for an interesting week.

Five Fast Facts

*– Liberty High senior Cassidy Hartman holds the Liberty High record for career kills with 1,473.

*– Six of the eight teams in the 5A field were in the state tournament last season.

*– West Des Moines Valley is the only team in the 5A field with six players with at least 100 kills.

*– Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial are the only teams in the 5A field to win a state title and the two Ankeny schools have combined for nine championships all since 2004.

*– Urbandale senior Lily Dykstra has posted back-to-back seasons with 500 kills, has at least 300 kills in each of the past four seasons and has 1,793 career kills.

The Schedule

Quarterfinals, October 31

Liberty High (30-8) vs. Urbandale (16-19), Noon

West Des Moines Dowling (31-9) vs. Ankeny Centennial (29-9), 2 p.m.

Ankeny (35-4) vs. West Des Moines Valley (21-20), Noon

Pleasant Valley (27-6) vs. Waukee Northwest (28-12), 2 p.m.

Semifinals, November 2

Liberty High/Urbandale winner vs. West Des Moines Dowling/Ankeny Centennial winner, 10 a.m.

Ankeny/West Des Moines Valley winner vs. Pleasant Valley/Waukee Northwest winner, 10 a.m.

Championship, November 3

Semifinal winners, 10 a.m.

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