By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Ray Bechard may be the grandfather of successful volleyball in Barton County. He posted a 716-60 record in his 13 seasons at Barton Community College. Now in his 27th season at the University of Kansas, Bechard has been named Big 12 Coach of the Year five times, and his teams have earned 12 NCAA National Tournament appearances. The volleyball tradition continues locally as three Barton County high schools will host substate tournaments this weekend.
"I think volleyball in Barton County has been something that's been focused on for the past several years with all the coaches," said Great Bend coach Shelly Duvall. "Having everybody a part of something so big is so exciting."
All four high schools in Barton County have had versions of success in recent years. In Ellinwood, Greg Maxwell has led the Lady Eagles to a 200-33 record over the past six seasons. Ellinwood ended a 21-year state drought in 2018, taking two of the three matches three sets but finishing at 0-3. The Lady Eagles returned to state in 2021 where they finished fourth. Maxwell set out to build a program and has done just that, entering substate weekend as the No. 1 seed despite having just one senior in Kennedy Behnke on this year's roster.
"It's time and commitment and just believing in the kids, that they want to be part of it," he said. "You have to know we're all on the same page. I don't think you have to be special in who you are. You just have to give them the time and get better each day. That's been a goal of mine. If I'm growing, I think the kids are growing. I've even laughed about where I was at my first couple of years, about what I knew at that point compared to what I know now."
READ MORE: Area Substate Volleyball brackets for Oct. 26
Ellinwood junior Kyndal Moore, who is second on this year's team in kills and blocks, credits club volleyball for some of the success across Barton County.
In Great Bend, Shelly Duvall has led the Panthers to a 64-7 record over the past two seasons. Last year's team set a new school record with 31 wins in a single season. Despite losing six seniors, this year's squad has bumped that record to 33 wins. Duvall expects the success to continue as this year's roster features several juniors, sophomores, and even a pair of freshmen starters.
"I think building a program obviously starts from your middle school and goes up," Duvall said. "Losing six seniors last year, it was eye-opening to see this class come in so confident, but I think that's where those seniors left our team last year. They left with these girls knowing they had just as much potential with or without them, and this group has really taken over and taken the reins."
Great Bend ended a seven-year state drought in 2020 and are looking to and another small drought Saturday as the No. 9 ranked team in Class 5A. Sophomore Kya Behr needs just 29 assists during the substate bracket to move past Taryn Kirmer (Stueder) for the most assists in a season.
A little north, Mykela Riedl has turned Hoisington back into a powerhouse team with a 63-15 record over the last two seasons. The Lady Cardinals were formidable just over a decade go, qualifying for state under Tina Johnson in 2008, then in three straight seasons under Johnson and Jon Bingesser from 2011-13. Those teams placed second in 2011 and fourth in 2013. Bingesser is now the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Okla. Kayci Hedash led Hoisington back to state in 2018. Riedl played in all 97 sets on the 2011 team.
"It is so much fun to be coaching back in my hometown," Riedl said. "Sports in general, but especially volleyball, has been so important in my life and in making me the person I am. After high school, I almost let volleyball slip out of my life. But I ended up signing with Barton a couple weeks before my freshman season."
Riedl went on to play four years of college volleyball. Her time as a player came to an end but she was not yet finished with the sport.
"I started coaching club," she said. "And once you start coaching, the girls pull you in and it becomes more important than just the game. You want to be great for them and help make Cardinal volleyball be as influential in their lives as it was for you. So to be able to give back to my hometown in that way is very special. Once a Cardinal, always a Cardinal."
Hoisington sophomore Sofia Simic entered Monday's regional competition at the Activity Center just one ace shy of the all-class state record for aces in a season set by Sublette's Emily Lucas in 2008. With 13 aces in those three matches, Simic is now unofficially atop the Kansas high school record books with 151 aces on the season.
The larger area has also seen in its share of volleyball success. Just a little south, Trish Wade led St. John to state titles in 2008, 2010, and 2011. Just a little east, Britney Tenbrink led the now-defunct Quivira Heights to a championship in 2007.
Central Plains began carrying that torch in 2014 when Kim Rolfs led the Lady Oilers to a third-place state finish. Her team went a perfect 43-0 the next season. She then moved on to Little River where she has won back-to-back state titles and the Lady Redskins have been ranked No. 1 this fall.
Lisa Crites took over from there, leading the Lady Oilers to a runner-up Class 2A finish in 2016. Crites won back-to-back titles at the school in 2019 and 2020, and her team made it back to state in 2021 for a third-place finish.
Barton Community College has also experienced a rebound. The Lady Cougars had four straight losing seasons from 2012 to 2015, including a 16-50 run in the 2014 and 2015 campaigns. Barton posted a 49-17 record over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, thanks in part to players like Central Plains' Addison Crites and Ellinwood's Mya Maxwell. Megan Besecker took over the program last season and the Lady Cougs, featuring Central Plains' Kassidy Nixon, are 49-8 since.