Ankeny Christian rallies to stun G-R volleyball in 1A championship

CORALVILLE – A state volleyball title slipped through Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s fingers multiple times last Thursday night.

​The Rebels couldn’t close out a young, fiery Ankeny Christian team making their first state tournament appearance, and the Eagles overcame a 2-0 deficit to G-R to snag the Class 1A title in a five-set stunner to end the 2022 state tournament in its first season at the Xtream Arena in Coralville.

​ACA won 21-25, 19-25, 28-26, 26-24, 15-10. G-R’s season ends at 34-10, with a second runner-up trophy in their third-consecutive appearance at the state tournament. Ava Wyatt and Megan Cooley were named to the Class 1A all-tournament team.

​“We played to the best of our abilities tonight,” G-R head coach Paula Kelley said. “We had some players that played out of their minds tonight, we had things going. And then it was just the little things that got to us, I think some nerves, some anxiety of getting to the end and letting up just a little bit to let them in. They did a fantastic job of coming back at us. We just couldn’t get the stops we needed to.”

​After two sets won fairly convincingly by the Rebels, the Eagles showed some fight in the third set to close a 21-15 deficit to 21-20.

​Still, G-R pushed its way to match point at 24-22. The Eagles came back to take a 25-24 lead on two Eagle kills and a G-R setting error, and the Rebels traded points with ACA before the Eagles closed out the set on back-to-back errors from the Rebels.

​G-R had eight attack errors in that third set, the most of any set they competed in on Thursday.

​“They had big blocks,” Cooley said. “We didn’t see them get many touches on blocks on film so we thought we could just hit it around them, and when they started blocking us, it kind of put down our confidence.”

​The teams traded runs to start the fourth set and went back and forth before G-R once again found themselves at match point at 24-22. But a trio of kills from Macey Nehring pushed the Eagles back ahead, and an ace serve won set four for Ankeny Christian.

​“This team hit a lot harder than a lot of past teams we’ve played against,” Wyatt said. “I don’t think we were quite expecting them and we struggled to adjust our defense to that.”

​Set five was another back-and-forth affair until the closing moments, where the Eagles scored four in a row to take a 14-9 lead, and the Rebels were only able to fight off one match point before Ankeny Christian completed the comeback.

​“We were trying to give it our all, but our energy was just lacking,” Wyatt said. “We couldn’t finish that fifth set.”

​The scene when the final point fell to the ground for Ankeny Christian was understandably somber on the G-R side of the court. Tears flowed, and Rebels did their best to comfort each other.

​But as the moments passed and the girls talked it out, and heard encouraging words from seniors like Wyatt, McClintock and Cooley, there were some bittersweet smiles, tears able to be wiped away, even some laughs when Wyatt nearly dropped the state runner-up trophy she was bringing to hold up with the team.

​The Rebels had come up short, but in the same token had gotten much farther than outsiders may have anticipated.

​“Nobody expected us to make it this far - we didn’t expect us to make it this far,” Cooley said. “But we proved to everyone that we can and we still are a great team.”

​“I know losing is tough,” Wyatt added. “But we fought, we gave it our all, and we gave it everything. I’m still proud of how we all did today.”

​The G-R senior leaders represented themselves well, even with tough stretches in their game on Thursday. Wyatt finished with 25 kills, Cooley had 17 kills and 15 digs, and Emma McClintock set a new single-game record with 57 assists, adding 19 digs.

​“We’re gonna miss this leadership from this group of seniors,” Kelley said. “They just know what to say, when to say it. Because they’ve gone through it these last four years. And we’ve got a lot to replace, but I’m excited for what’s coming up and for what these guys have taught these younger kids.”

​Perhaps in the same way that Wyatt had her breakout moment two years ago alongside Saari Kuehl in the championship game loss to Burlington Notre Dame, maybe freshman Kennedy Brant had that same moment on Thursday alongside Wyatt. Brant smashed 18 kills and was a major reason why the Rebels were on the precipice of a state title so many times on Thursday night.

​“I took Kennedy under my wing the first time she walked into that gym, because I knew she had it in her,” Cooley said. “I knew she was going to be on the big stage one day and I was going to bring her here so she knew how it felt.”

​Even in the dismay of Thursday’s end result, the message was clear: You probably haven’t seen the last of the Rebels.

​“I hope these girls realize that they are just as capable of leading the team as we were,” McClintock said. “They can keep it going. I wouldn’t want to play with any other group of girls. I’ve been very grateful for the past four years. I can’t wait to watch the underclassmen again next year.”