By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
No volleyball coach wants to lose five matches in a row. But Great Bend High School coach Shelly Duvall also knows a team does not get better without a little adversity. Since that stretch in late September that included an 0-4 showing against ranked teams like Washburn Rural (No. 6 in 6A), Manhattan (No. 7 in 6A), and St. James Academy (No. 5 in 5A), the Panther volleyball team has rattled off 10 straight wins to move to 19-9 on the season.
Thursday night, Great Bend needed three sets to get by Emporia, then downed No. 2 Hillsboro (2A) 25-18, 25-18. Junior Kya Behr put down six kills in the Hillsboro win, followed by junior Alex Mayers and sophomore Mikala Minton with four each. Behr also led the team with three aces and eight assists.
Defensively, senior Katherine Mazouch led the front with four blocks against the Trojans. Sophomore Micah Ellegood and freshman Stevie Mayers each added a pair of blocks. Alex Mayers paced the back row with 12 digs, followed by 11 from Behr, and seven from Minton.
Along with the one tough weekend, the Panthers have suffered losses to No. 10 Garden City (6A), No. 10 Hutchinson (5A), and have split four losses to No. 1 Clay Center (4A) and Manhattan. Currently sitting at No. 7 in the Class 5A West substate rankings, Great Bend is still very alive in the mix to host a sub-state tournament.
On the season, Minton leads the attack with 183 kills, followed by Alex Mayers with 166. Stevie Mayers, Behr, and Ellegood all have more than 100 kills. Behr has served up 35 aces, with senior Ava Kaiser added 27. Senior Kimmy Hofflinger and Alex Mayers have split 37 aces, and junior Meredith Mazouch has 14 aces in just 43 sets played.
Ellegood has been huge up front defensively with a team-best 49 blocks. The six-foot freshman Stevie Mayers has 27 blocks, and Behr has 21. The back row continues to share digs. Kaiser leads that charge with 226, though Behr and Minton each have more than 200, and Alex Mayers is close with 195. Behr continues to add to her historical passing career with 551 assists so far in her junior season.
Great Bend will host Phillipsburg and Smith Center Tuesday night for Senior Night, then host the Western Athletic Conference tournament next Saturday.