Great Bend and Ellinwood volleyball both had dominant showings on Saturday, sweeping substate en route to number 1 seeds in their respective playoffs.
Great Bend opened Saturday's contest with a two-set sweep over Ark City, winning 25-15 and 25-10. On the other side of the bracket, Hays defeated Emporia in three sets, giving Great Bend one more chance at a WAC opponent. The Panthers took care of business, winning the two sets 25-8 and 25-15 to punch their ticket.
Great Bend will be the number 1 seed in 5A volleyball with a final record of 34-3, and will head to Overland Park for state on Friday, October 30th. Pool play will see the Panthers take on 4-seed Lansing, 5-seed Maize South, and 8-seed Blue Valley Southwest.
The Ellinwood Eagles saw similar results, as the number 1 seed, it took just two sets to take care of Republic County, with finals of 25-15 and 25-11. On the other side of the court, Phillipsburg fell in their first set against Smith Center, but won sets two and three to advance to the final. Ellinwood didn't take the final lightly, as they won in two sets 25-7, and 25-14.
Ellinwood is the number 1 seed in 2A with an undefeated record of 42-0, now having won 89 matches in a row, the longest active winning streak in the country. The Eagles will travel to Salina for state, looking to win back-to-back state titles. They will be in a pool with 8-seed Rossville, 5-seed Wabaunsee, and 4-seed St. Mary's Colgan.
