Great Bend Post Sports
The Lady Panther volleyball team is off to one of the best starts in school history. Great Bend moved to 9-0 with five more wins at the Riley County Invitational on Saturday. Eight of those nine matches were decided in just two sets.
Great Bend defeated Clay Center 25-18, 28-26 in the title match. Junior Cassie Ellegood had 13 kills in the match, followed by six from junior Kara Feist, five from sophomore Denver Ringo, and four each from Emilee Hall, Kya Behr, and Sadie Spray. The Lady Panthers had seven blocks in the win, led by three from Ringo. Senior Macy Nachtigal led the back row with 18 of the team's 42 digs, and senior Lauryn Davis added seven. Behr had 24 assists in the match.
Jefferson County North, ranked No. 5 in Class 2A, is the only team to take Great Bend three sets this year. That match proved to be a battle with the Lady Panthers prevailing 25-23, 23-25, 25-22. Senior Makenzie Premer led the team with eight kills, followed by seven from Behr and six apiece from Spray and Feist. Feist and Spray also went block-for-block at the net with four each. Nachtigal paced the back row with 19 digs, and Spray and senior Paige Thexton each added 10. Behr finished with 22 assists.
Great Bend opened the day with a 25-17, 25-15 win against St. Marys. Hall led the offense with six kills, and Davis and Spray each served up three aces.
The Lady Panthers next took down No. 6 Valley Heights (2A) 25-19, 25-16. Ellegood finished with nine kills and three blocks. Spray added six blocks and Feist finished with four blocks. Nachtigal had 11 digs and Spray had nine. Behr had 16 assists in the match, followed by eight from Spray.
Great Bend's easiest match of the day came in a 25-14, 25-10 win over Wichita Independent. Sophomore Miya Nachtigal took her turn leading the offense with seven kills. Thexton served up 5 of the team's 10 aces. Behr finished with 13 assists, and Spray had nine.
Great Bend takes a 9-0 record into its first home matches against Manhattan and Hays Tuesday evening.