She measures 5-feet-2-inches, but Great Bend volleyball player Sydney Unruh plays a mighty big role for her Panther team.
The senior and three-year starter and fourth-year varsity player helped propel the Panthers to a 20-11 season, qualified for the Class 5A quarterfinal round of the state tournament, and took second in the Western Athletic Conference championship round-robin.
For her outstanding performance, Unruh was voted by the WAC coaches as the 2020 Player of the Year.
“It’s a real honor and honestly I never expected to get it,” Unruh. “A lot of hard work has paid off and this makes me very happy. I have great teammates who are always positive and we have a great coaching staff to help us get better.”
WAC Player of the Year, Sydney Unruh – Photo: Hugo Gonzalez, Great Bend Tribune
The fact that Unruh and her team pieced together 31 matches was nothing short of a miracle. Due to the COVID outbreak, the team quarantined for 14 days in September.
“It was really tough being all locked up for a couple of weeks,” Unruh. “We’d all do some workouts at home, and when we got back we started where we left off.”
That was the only time the Panthers had to deal with the virus. Midway through the season, they had to quarantine again for two weeks.
“After our second quarantine, it was definitely a struggle,” Unruh said. “When we got back in the gym, we started to do more drills rather than focusing on scrimmaging. We focused on techniques.”
Unruh said that the Libero position requires certain physical and vocal skills.
“Being loud and active and encouraging to your teammates is really important,” she said. “You’ve got to be straight with your teammates and you have to have their trust.”
Physically, Unruh said the position, which does allow the player to serve in certain parts of the lineup rotation, requires multiple skills.
“You’ve got to be quick on your feet and you’ve got to be quick-minded,” she said. “I feel like I’m good at reading the ball which isn’t always easy. You’ve got to try and find the ball coming over the net and see where the ball is coming off the block, or if it will go in a different direction. You’ve got to watch the ball.”
Being a senior was also a change for Unruh, who took on additional leadership roles.
“Last year, we had a lot of seniors,” Unruh said. “This year, I knew I had to be more of a leader. It was time to step up.”
A repeat all-WAC first-team selection, Unruh had a 2.78 percent serve receives passing efficiency while compiling 514 digs and 62 assists. She had 17 aces on 217 serves. She recorded 1600 digs, an average of 5.3 per set. She recorded 1,701 serves received with 546 serves with 51 aces, a .906 percentage in her four-year career.
“We did a lot of team bonding this year and we became really close,” Unruh said of the team’s success. “It just was a lot of fun and I’m so happy we could finish the season.”
Unruh, who also plays basketball and softball at GBHS, said she has received a couple of college offers. She’s undecided on where she plans to continue her education and her volleyball career.
Coach of the Year
While her team didn’t fulfill one prominent goal – winning the Western Athletic Conference – Shelly Duvall saw her Great Bend Panthers accomplish a lot against all odds.
The Panthers overcame two quarantines interrupted for a 20-11 record, second in the WAC championship to Garden City and 5A quarterfinal state tournament trip before being eliminated by Maize South.
“Considering we didn’t practice or play for four weeks, the girls really committed themselves when we were playing,” Duvall said. “When we came back the second time, we changed our rotation and our setup. We began to play well.”
Duvall said she felt with four returning seniors the team would have a chance to have a good season.
“When we made those changes, our girls worked hard and we were a whole different team,” Duvall said. “We got more height at the net, we were stronger in the back row and to be honest, we relied on Sydney a lot. Liberos don’t get the recognition they deserve, but she was invaluable.”
Duvall said she was proud of the way the girls handled the season with COVID quarantining.
“This was about as tough a season to handle as I’ve seen,” Duvall said. “I didn’t know how they’d mesh with all the interruptions. It made them more mentally tough because of what they had to handle.”
Duvall said she liked the resiliency and mental toughness of this team.
“This was one of the best teams mentally that I’ve had,” Duvall said. “They fought to the end even if they were not winning a set. We had fun all year.”
Duvall credited her assistant coaches for much of the team’s success as well.
“I’ve got a great staff who catch a lot of the little things that happen, and we make adjustments,” Duvall said. “Often times, it is the assistants who provide that extra fire.”
WAC FIRST TEAM
GREAT BEND—Sydney Unruh, 12; Rachel Panzer, 12
GARDEN CITY—Abby Ellerman, 12; Julie Calzonetti, 12
LIBERAL—Logan Dodge, 12; Aubrey Warden, 12
WAC SECOND TEAM
DODGE CITY—Kisa Unruh, 12; Mataya Clark, 12
LIBERAL—Breeanna Hornya,
HAYS—Brooklyn Schaffer, 12
GREAT BEND—Brynn Boxberger, 12
GARDEN CITY—Melody Flores, 12
