Great Bend Post Sports
A few teams end the season with a win as state champions. Friday in Overland Park, the Great Bend High School volleyball team ended its run with a win against Lansing, but was eliminated from the Class 5A State Volleyball Championships.
The Panthers entered the bracket as the No. 1 seed, falling to Blue Valley Southwest Friday morning 25-23, 13-25, 25-20. No. 5 seed Maize South was the lone team to go 3-0 in pool play, downing Great Bend 25-16, 25-23. Needing a dominant performance against Lansing in the final pool match of the day, Great Bend held on for a 25-14, 20-25, 25-23 win.
The Panthers led Lansing 16-14 in the third set, bumping the lead to 19-14. A big dig from Kya Behr went over the net for a 22-15 Panther lead. With a tiebreaker looming, every point counted, and the Lions battled back to 22-20. Alex Mayers halted the run for a 23-20 Great Bend lead. The Panthers were a point away from a win before Lansing battled back to a 24-23 score. The Panthers ended a long rally with a block to secure the win 25-23.
With three teams finishing pool play at 1-2, Lansing won the tiebreak to advance to Saturday's semifinals.
Great Bend ends its season at 35-5 under first-year coach Tina Johnson.