By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Lady Panthers look to reload for 2014
GBHS Volleyball
DSC 0039
The 2014 Great Bend High School varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams. - photo by Kevin Price Great Bend Tribune

GREAT BEND HIGH SCHOOL
 
LADY PANTHERS
 
Classification: 5A
League: Western Athletic Conference
2013 season record: 29-12
2013 WAC record: 6-2
Head coach: Kelsey Perry (entering seventh season)
Assistant coach: Melissa Watson
Head JV coach: Natalie Boss
Head "C" team coach: Andrea Maxwell
Returning letter winners: Morgan Kottas (JR), Regan Unruh (SR), Dakota Sanders (SR)
 
Roster
Varsity/Junior Varsity
2    Kendal Sell    DS    Soph.
3    Lauren Welsch    RS    Jr.
4    Carly Dreiling    OH    Soph.
5    Kaylan Lagerman    OH    Jr.
6    Dakota Sanders    S/DS    Sr.
7    Brittnee Barber    S    Jr.
8    Kaily Griffith    DS    Soph.
9    Morgan Kottas    OH    Jr.
10    Keely Ireland    DS/S    Soph.
11    Peyton Burkhart    MB    Sr.
12    Lindsay Leuenburger    DS    Sr.
14    Regan Unruh    OH    Sr.
15    Taylor Hommertzheim    RS    Soph.
16    Brooklyn Burkhart    RS/S/OH    Soph.
17    Baleigh Fry    RS    Fr.
18    Kate Warren    RS/MB    Soph.
19    Sidney Meitner    OH    Fr.
20    Sarah Mauler    DS    Jr.
21    Braylin Bretz    MB    Sr.
22    Katy Jerke    S/DS    Jr.
23    Taylor Vratil    DS    Jr.
24    Cameron Dunekack    MB    Fr.
25    Baily Beck    OH/RS    Fr.
26    Carly Brack    MB/OH    Fr.
27    Olivia Urban    S    Fr.
28    Kalyn Blessing    MB    Jr.
 
Ninth grade
1     Sheridan Beaumont    S
2    Kelsie Naab    OH/MB
3    Shay Brown    MB
10    Alyssia Garcia    DS/OH
11    Carly Brack    MB/OH
12    Hunter Ruppe    OH
14    Esmeraldo Delgadillo    DS
15    Maggie Hillman    RS
20    Piper Libeer    MB
21    Lacora Bryant    MB/OH
22    Brittney Birzer    MB/OH
23    Sidney Meitner    OH
 
Schedule
Varsity/Junior varsity
Sept. 4 — At Garden City, 4 p.m.
Sept. 9 — At Dodge City, 4 p.m.
Sept. 13 — At Scott City (JV), 9 a.m.
Sept. 15 — RUSSELL/SMOKY VALLEY, 5 p.m.
Sept. 18 — GARDEN PLAIN/CHENEY/ROSE HILL, 5 p.m.
Sept. 20 — At Salina Central (JV), 9 a.m.
Sept. 25 — At Hutchinson, 5 p.m.
Sept. 27 — At Tonganoxie, 8 a.m.
Sept. 27 — GREAT BEND JV INVITATIONAL, 9 a.m.
Oct. 4 — GREAT BEND VARISTY INVITATIONAL, 9 a.m.
Oct. 7 — GODDARD EISENHOWER/ CAMPUS, 5 p.m.
Oct. 9 — At Hillsboro, 5 p.m.
Oct. 14 — At Phillipsburg, 5 p.m.
Oct. 16 — At Dodge City JV, 4 p.m.
Oct. 18 — At WAC tournament in Garden City, 10 a.m.
Oct. 21 — At  Hoisington, 4 p.m.
HOME MATCHES IN ALL CAPS
 
Ninth grade
Sept. 1 — At Garden City, 4 p.m.
Sept. 4 — HAYS/PRATT/LARNED, 4 p.m.
Sept. 9 — At Medicine Lodge, 5 p.m.
Sept. 11 — At Hays, 4 p.m.
Sept. 18 — At Hoisington, 4 p.m.    
Sept. 20 — At Hoisington Classic, 9 a.m.
Sept. 25 — At Salina South, 5 p.m.
Oct. 6 — GARDEN/ELLINWOOD/HOISINGTON, 4 p.m.
Oct. 9 — At Dodge City, 4 p.m.
Oct. 14 — At Dodge City, 4 p.m.
HOME MATCHES IN ALL CAPS

It’s a new year for the Great Bend High School volleyball team.
The Lady Panthers were sitting pretty with seven seniors this time last year, but now they’ve graduated their starters and are looking for new faces to step up.
“We’ll call it a reloading year,” GBHS head coach Kelsey Perry said. “We’re telling them that Garden City isn’t the end of our season, it’s the beginning. It’s October that’s the important part of our season.”
Great Bend’s athletes are working to be part of the new group.
“We’re working really, really hard at practice,” Perry said. “We have a lot of positions open, so there are a lot of kids fighting for those positions.”
Perry said she likes what she’s been seeing so far.
“One thing we’ve really noticed is their chemistry,” Perry said. “They’re finding a way to play together, and they’ve been great teammates so far.
“We’ve got a lot of fundamental work to do and then it’ll get better every day.”
Still, Great Bend lost a lot of talent after the 2013 season, which ended with a trip to the Class 5A State Tournament.
“We had seven seniors graduate,” Perry said. “Three of them are playing college volleyball and three track. It’s a really good class to see leave, but we’ve had a lot of kids waiting to fill those spots, biding their time.
“They’ve been working really hard and this year will be there chance.”
The trip to state has led to higher expectations.
“The expectation is very high,” Perry said. “You know, we only have three kids who experienced that last year. With them and coaches, that’s definitely the expectation, and hopefully, we’re instilling that in the rest of the girls.
“Even the freshmen came and watched us at state, so they know what it takes. They just have to get to that level.”
Open positions are slowly being filled in.
“Brittnee Barber will come in as a setter,” Perry said. “Dakota Sanders, who has been a (defensive specialist) for us in the past is going to set.
“Tarynn (Stueder) had that role for us and Dakota knew if she wanted to play, she’d need to switch around.”
There are two returning starters for the Lady Panthers.
“We still have Morgan (Kottas) and Regan (Unruh) back,” Perry said. “We’ve got two middles, seniors, Braylin Bretz and Peyton Burkhart. It’s just seeing who’s going to click together.”
It’s hard to replace the size Great Bend loss, though.
“We drop a lot in height, which is really big in volleyball,” Perry said. “So we’re waiting to see. We either have to do really well in offense or really good in defense.
“We’re still waiting to see which part of our game is going to step up.”
Perry said that right now, all areas of the game are improving.
“I’ve definitely seen, well they work so hard to get better, so I’ve every part of our game get better,” Perry said. “Our serving’s getting better. Our passing’s getting better.
“It’s really tough at the varsity level and we just want, every match, to see ourselves getting better.”