By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Home matches are at a premium this year for the Lady Panther volleyball team. Great Bend will host just three home events this season, with the first taking place Tuesday night with Manhattan and Hays coming to town. Manhattan handed Great Bend its first loss of the season 25-22, 24-26, 25-20, and the Lady Panthers moved to 10-1 overall with a win against Hays.
Things went well enough early on in the opening set against Manhattan. Freshman Kya Behr served up an ace, and junior Kara Feist put down a kill for a quick 3-2 lead. The Indians scored on an ace for a 4-3 lead and never trailed in the set again, bumping the gap all the way to 19-14.
The Lady Panthers remained competitive to the finish. Feist had another kill, and she and senior Sadie Spray combined for a block to keep the deficit at 20-17. A late ace from Feist split kills from Emilee Hall and Spray to halve a 6-point deficit at 23-20, and a stuff from junior Cassie Ellegood got the Lady Panthers within two at 24-22 but it was too little, too late.
Sophomore Denver Ringo put the Lady Panthers on the board first with a kill to open the second set. Great Bend went on to lead 3-0 before Manhattan pulled even at 4-4. Feist ended that run with a pair of aces, and Ellegood put down a spike for an 8-4 Lady Panther lead. Great Bend kept the lead around three points most of the way but the Lady Indians kept it close at 18-17 with an ace late in the match. Ellegood answered with a kill and stuff to bump the lead back to three points.
Manhattan continued to battle back, taking its first lead of the set at 22-21. Ringo responded with a pair of points at the net, and Feist scored two of the final three Lady Panther points at the night. Spray secured the set with a tip at 26-24.
Feist and Spray opened the third set with kills for a quick 2-1 Great Bend lead but the Lady Panthers played from behind most of the way. Manhattan's 6-1 senior Tatum Tindall played a role in Great Bend's struggles throughout the match. The Lady Panthers trailed by as many as six points midway through the final set but did get as close as 18-16 with a kill from Behr and ace from Spray. Manhattan pulled back away to lead by as many as five points down the stretch.
The Lady Panthers travel to Junction City on Tuesday.