The Great Bend area must be a great place for high school volleyball, with two area teams ranked No. 1 in the state in their respective classes in the latest Kansas Volleyball Association poll.
Hoisington is ranked on top of Class 3A, and St. John is No. 1 in 1A Division-I after winning the state tournament last season.
Lady Cardinals head coach Tina Johnson credits her kids' hard work as the root cause of the early-season ranking.
"I think the hard work the kids put in over the summer is the main reason for the ranking," Johnson said. "We didn't just have three or four kids working this summer. We had the whole team. It has just been a team effort putting it all together."
Senior Mallory Flagor leads Hoisington (15-2) in kills (253), aces (42) and blocks (47 solo, 30 assists).
"Mallory Flagor and Mykela Riedl played on some pretty good state teams over the summer," Johnson said. "Flagor was on a national team. She's ranked No. 1 in Kansas in hitting and blocking on MaxPreps.com.
"I haven't told her yet, but she's No. 11 in the nation in hitting on MaxPreps. That takes a lot of work."
Riedl leads the team with 119 digs this season.
St. John head coach Trish Wade said that being the defending state champion with a No. 1 ranking makes the Lady Tigers a target.
"There's a big bull's eye on you when you come in ranked No. 1," Trish Wade said. "People are always gunning for you, but that's what you want. It makes you a better team."
Trish Wade said that her team has improved over the offseason as well.
"I think dedication is a big part of our success," Trish Wade said. "All of the girls compete in summer programs and summer leagues. They play basketball, volleyball and lift weights all summer long. Our girls do everything."
Teresa Wade, Trish Wade's daughter, leads the Lady Tigers (10-1) with 150 kills and 51 digs in the first 10 matches of the season. Morgan Osborne has 70 kills and 50 digs.
"Teresa is a big leader for the team," Trish Wade said. "She's in her senior year, and she has been pretty solid for us, along with setter Jamie Waters.
"Teresa is one of our main passers, lead diggers and best hitters. Her and Morgan Osborne have done very well hitting for us this year."
Waters leads the team with 126 assists.
St. John's only loss this season came against Pratt.
"It was horrible," Trish Wade said. "We had a 24-19 lead and we lost it at Skyline. I think that it was a good learning experience for the team."
St. John competes this afternoon at Otis-Bison with matches beginning at 4 p.m.
Hoisington hosts an invitational on Saturday, and the Lady Tigers will be among several ranked teams in attendance. Matches will begin at 9 a.m.