By Brant Daughtry
Great Bend Post Sports
The Great Bend volleyball program has a streak going. The Lady Panthers have taken home the WAC title three years in a row, and bring back several key players from last year.
They'll do so this season, though, under new leadership. Shelley Duvall has departed for the same position at Larned, and the new leader at Great Bend is Tina Johnson, known for her coaching career at Hoisington and Hutchinson, and for her time as an official at the high school and junior college ranks. She takes over a program that has high expectations, but she seems to have pushed the bar even higher.
"Yes, there was change, but it was good change." Says senior Kya Behr "Johnson and her coaching staff brought in a new level of expertise and knowledge, and opened us up to ideas that we hadn't thought about before. So yes, it's the same team, but we're coming in with different ways of doing things. And honestly, a different mindset. We have a dominant mindset this year. We're going for that four-peat. So like I said, it was a really good change and I'm really excited to see how far this team is going to go this year.
"That's the thing that's so special about this group, is we're all confident. Like, when we walk in the gym every day, there's just a next level expectation. Last year we weren't as good of communicators. This year it's like, you have to communicate or you're not going to touch the court. There's just a higher expectation this year and it's definitely shown, and it's starting to show in our play as well."
Senior Alex Mayers said that the team is always looking at themselves, the good and the bad, to find ways to improve as a team.
"We're always looking at what we do good, but at the same time we always want to look at what we can improve on and do better, and I think that's what makes us almost an elite team. We're always trying to get to that next level and improve on what we do wrong so we can beat better competition."
The new head coach, Tina Johnson, says she's especially proud of how the upperclassman are helping lay the foundation for the younger girls on the team. "It's a very special and unique set of girls. They're hard workers, they're great role-models, on and off the floor, for Great Bend high school and Barton County. Most of all, they've done a great job of accepting the younger kids and making them feel a part of the team. They've done a great job of leading is what I would say most of all."
Great Bend Volleyball opens the season hosting Campus and Goddard-Eisenhower on Thursday, September 3rd, starting at 5 PM.