NEWTON — The newly-ranked Great Bend High School volleyball team split matches at a Newton triangular on Thursday evening.
The Lady Panthers, who are No. 8 in Class 5A in the latest Kansas Volleyball Association poll, defeated Newton in three sets, but fell to 2A No. 1-ranked Hillsboro in three sets.
Great Bend topped Newton 14-25, 25-19 and 25-12.
Great Bend head coach Kelsey Perry said that it was Newton’s senior night, and that she expected the host to be fired up.
“This was Newton’s senior night, so we knew it was going be a tough match,” Perry said. “We started pretty slow and dropped the first set.
“The second set, we pulled away late and finished well. The final set, everything went our way. We really worked hard to adjust the little things and that makes a huge difference.”
Brenna Haines led the Lady Panthers with 14 kills in the match. She finished with 23 on the night.
Kelsie Doll added 13 digs and 11 kills against Newton. She had 28 digs at the triangular.
The Lady Panthers fell to Hillsboro 25-22, 18-25 and 25-23.
“Hillsboro is the defending 2A state champion and was 26-0 this season,” Perry said. “We knew we had to be great to get them, and we put up a tremendous effort. We struggled with our serve receive and other then that, we played great.
“Our front row really hit the ball well. It was a disappointing loss for us because we were right there and the opportunities to get it done but fell short.”
Now, Great Bend sets its eyes on the last two competitions before the postseason.
“We have our final home matches on Tuesday and then the (Western Athletic Conference) Tournament next Saturday,” Perry said. “We are sitting in the No. 1 spot for regionals and if we can win out this next week we are fine.”
It is the first time that Great Bend, which is 24-6, has been ranked this season.
“We broke into the rankings this week as the No. 8 team in 5A and that is a great honor for our girls,” Perry said. “They deserve it and have played well enough to be in the position they are in for the final stretch before the postseason.”
— Kevin Price
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
Thursday
At Newton
Great Bend 2, Newton 1
(14-25, 25-19, 25-12)
GBHS statistics
Selam Ball — 2 digs
Brenna Haines — 14 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces, 4 blocks
Hannah Hildebrand — 4 digs, 2 blocks, 1 kill
Kaylie Doll — 10 digs, 4 kills, 2 assists, 1 block
Kelsie Doll — 13 digs, 11 kills
Morgan Kottas — 3 digs
Dakota Sanders — 4 digs
Kylee Spray — 10 digs
Tarynn Stueder — 29 assists, 7 digs, 4 aces, 2 kills, 2 blocks
Regan Unruh — 4 digs, 3 kills
Hillsboro 2, Great Bend 1
(25-22, 18-25, 25-23)
GBHS statistics
Ball — 2 digs
Haines — 9 kills, 8 blocks, 3 aces, 1 dig
Hildebrand — 6 kills, 5 blocks, 3 digs
Ka. Doll — 15 digs, 2 blocks, 2 kills, 1 ace
Ke. Doll — 15 digs, 6 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace
Kottas — 5 digs, 2 kills, 1 block
Sanders — 3 digs
Spray — 10 digs
Stueder — 24 assists, 5 digs, 2 blocks, 2 aces, 1 kill
Unruh — 1 dig, 1 kill
