Will Garden City girls make it a decade sweep?
The Garden City Lady Buffaloes have dominated the decade of the 2010s by winning the league tournament every year since 2011 and eying a 10th consecutive crown this fall. They have made five consecutive trips to the Class 6A state tournament. Will one of the remaining four WAC schools be able to dethrone the Lady Buffs? Oct. 17 will be the big day in Great Bend. Great Bend and Hays are coming off strong seasons in 2019 and could be just the teams to upend the Lady Buffs.
DODGE CITY LADY RED DEMONS
Head Coach: Ashley Podschun (3rd season)
When you’re playing some of the top Class 6A and 5A schools in your own league, it makes it all the more challenging to come up with a winning formula.
That’s somewhat the task for Ashley Podschun as she begins her third season as the head coach of the Dodge City Lady Red Demons volleyball team.
Podschun lost two honorable mention all-WAC players to graduation from a team that went 16-21 overall, but only posted a 1-9 mark against WAC schools during the 2019 campaign, thus posting a 15-12 mark against all other opposition.
Two returning starters who Podschun will be looking to for leadership on and off the court will be 5-7 senior outside hitter Kisa Unruh and 5-11 junior middle hitter Mataya Clark.
“After losing 6 seniors, we are looking to rebuild,” Podschun said. “Our team will look a little different compared to last year in the sense of personnel on the court. Of our four returners, two will be playing new positions. I have a great group of seniors and if they produce like I know they can, we will have a successful season.”
Podschun cited more depth as another reason for optimism.
“I have some depth on the outside and on the back row,” she said. “I look for us to be a lot more scrappy than we have in the past.”
2020 Schedule: Aug. 29—at Hutchinson; Sept. 3—at Holcomb Tri; Sept. 8-HOME TRIANGULAR; Sept. 10—HOME QUAD; Sept. 17—LIBERAL DUAL; Sept. 19—at Liberal Tourn.; Sept. 21—ULYSSES DUAL; Sept. 26—at Ulysses Tourn.; Sept. 29—HOME TRIANGULAR; Oct. 1—at Great Bend Dual; Oct. 8—at Garden City Tri.; Oct. 17—WAC Championship, at Great Bend; Oct. 24—Class 6A sub-state; Oct. 30-31—Class 6A State.
GARDEN CITY LADY BUFFALOES
Head Coach: Trista Bailey (4th season, 88-28)
Expectations have risen for the Garden City Lady Buffaloes volleyball program over the last decade.
No longer has it been just good enough to win the Western Athletic Conference title, which they have now done nine consecutive years. Five straight trips to the Class 6A state tournament have yet to yield an appearance in the semifinals, the next step for coach Trista Bailey.
For the Lady Buffs to take that move up the postseason ladder, Bailey said her 2020 team will have to establish its own identity after losing one of its most prized senior classes. Gone are four-year starter and WAC Players of the Year Reagan Karlin and Remi Vargas (2018 and 2019) along with Kelbi Richter, Alli Meng and Ashlyn Swan. All but Swan are now on the roster at Garden City Community College while Swan is playing at Colby C.C. Karlin was a two-time first-team Class 6A all-stater and originally was a Creighton Division I signee before changing her mind in the late spring.
Five of the nine seniors on this year’s roster saw starting duty or plenty of on-court playing time. That group includes outside hitter Julie Calzonetti (5-9), middle blocker Abby Ellerman (5-11), defensive specialist Abby Parr (5-7), defensive specialist Gisselle Gutierrez (5-7) and middle blocker Melody Flores (5-8).
“We are really excited for what this season will bring,” Bailey said. “While we graduated a very talented group last year, the core of this year’s senior group has contributed to our team’s success over the last two years in a variety of ways.”
Bailey developed a newfound positive outlook over the summer workouts.
“In working with this group over the summer, it is undeniable that these kids work really well together and they play hard,” Bailey said. “I think they will surprise people this fall.”
2020 Schedule: Aug. 29—at Hutchinson tournament; Sept. 1—GARDEN CITY TRIANGULAR (Great Bend, Liberal); Sept. 10—at Lamar, Colo. Dual; Sept. 17—at Ulysses Quad; Sept. 19—at Maize Inv.; Sept. 29—at Dodge City Triangular; Oct. 1—at Bishop Carroll Quad; Oct. 3—at Lawrence High Quad; Oct. 8—GARDEN CITY QUAD; Oct. 10—at McPherson Tournament; Oct. 17—WAC Championship, Great Bend; Oct. 24—Class 6A sub-state; Oct. 30-31—Class 6A state at Salina.
GREAT BEND LADY PANTHERS
Head Coach: Shelly Duvall (3rd season, 45-23; Overall, 94-50)
By all practical purposes, a 28-7 record would be one for the memory books for many coaches and high school programs. But for Great Bend coach Shelly Duvall, the 2019 season might have been one of “what ifs.”
They lost twice to WAC Champion Garden City and once to Liberal and were just one match away from qualifying for the Class 5A state tournament. They had two first-team all-WAC performers in graduated Jenna Mauler and now senior Sydney Unruh while Alyssa Herter, a second-team all-WAC pick also graduated.
The competitiveness of the WAC was shown by the fact that after Garden’s 4-0 record, Great Bend, Liberal and Hays all went 2-2 with Great Bend getting second and Liberal third based on records by sets.
Duvall welcomes Unruh back to anchor her team from the Libero position while 5-6 setter Zoe Jerke, a senior, has already committed to McPherson College for next year. She has a pair of 5-10 returners in seniors Rachel Panzer (outside hitter) and Brynn Boxberger (middle blocker).
“We have a strong core of four girls returning this season,” said Duvall, who earned WAC Coach of the Year honors. “They were part of one of the winningest teams GBHS has ever had. They will contribute tremendously on the court this season.”
The other seniors who figure into the mix include 5-9 outside hitter Candice Smith and 5-10 middle blocker/outside hitter Emma Wasinger. Those seven seniors are joined on the varsity roster after tryouts by 5-9 middle blocker VaLarie Luna, and freshmen outside hitter Makenzie Premer (5-8) and defensive specialist Paige Thexton (5-6).
Duvall said it has been exciting to see this group develop over the summer in preparation for the anticipated 2020 season.
“We also add three more seniors to this mix along with a sophomore and two freshmen,” Duvall said. “Our defense will be controlled by Sydney in the back row. She is one of the strongest Libero’s I’ve seen in a long time. The offense will be run by Zoe who loves to run a quick game. It’s going to be fun to see what this new group can do.”
2020 Schedule: Sept. 3—at Garden City Tri; Sept. 8—at Dodge City Quad; Sept. 12—at Riley Co. Inv.; Sept. 17—at Smoky Valley Tri; Sept. 24—at Hutchinson Tri; Oct. 1—DODGE CITY; Oct. 3—GREAT BEND INV.; Oct. 6—at Goddard Eisenhower Tri; Oct. 8—at Emporia Tri; Oct. 13—at Phillipsburg Tri; Oct. 17—WAC, at Great Bend; Oct. 24—Sub-State; Oct. 30-31—State.
HAYS HIGH LADY INDIANS
Head Coach: Shannon Funk (1st season)
First-year Hays High volleyball coach Shannon Funk inherits a program that fashioned a solid 22-14 record in 2019, including going 2-2 in the round-robin WAC tournament, just missing second by two sets despite matching Great Bend and Liberal’s match won-loss mark.
Funk will have to replace graduated first-team all-WAC performer Tasiah Nunnery but returns a solid group including 5-6 senior Libero Brooklyn Schaffer, 6-0 opposite middle blocker junior Aleyia Ruder and 5-7 sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Carly Lang.
“We will be a team that gets better every time we’re on the floor,” Funk said of her team’s outlook. “The girls are hungry to learn and are growing leaps and bounds week by week. Brooklyn is the only player earning significant minutes last year. What the team lacks in experience, they make up for in coachability and drive for improvement.”
2020 Schedule: Aug. 29—HAYS TOURNAENT; Sept. 8—at Nickerson; Sept. 10—at Dodge City; Sept. 17—at Ulysses; Sept. 26—at Wamego; Oct. 3—at Great Bend; Oct. 5—HAYS TRIANGULAR; Oct. 8—LARNED DUAL; Oct. 17—WAC, at Great Bend; Oct. 20—at Goddard Eisenhower.
LIBERAL LADY REDSKINS
Head Coach: Megan Besecker (2nd season, 16-21)
Looking at the 2019 volleyball season with the proper perspective, Liberal first-year coach Megan Besecker knew that her inaugural Lady Redskins’ team would face an uphill battle for a top finish in the tough Western Athletic Conference.
It turned out she was correct as both Garden City and Great Bend enjoyed a season that ranked among each school’s best in program history. Still, Besecker’s squad proved to be competitive, placing third in the league tournament.
Despite losing second-team all-WAC players Machia Mullens and Sarah Mein to graduation, Besecker welcomes back first-team all-WAC outside hitter Aubrey Warren (5-10). She is joined by returners senior setter Logan Dodge (5-8), 5-9 junior Bree Horyna and 5-2 sophomore Lizzy Cisneros Libero.
“I am very excited for our upcoming season,” Besecker said. “I think we are pretty solid and have a lot of potential. The girls are really pushing themselves and each other. I think they are really ready to get going.”
2020 Schedule: Aug. 29—at Hutchinson AVCTL Preseason; Sept. 1—at Hutchinson; Sept. 3—at Garden City; Sept. 8—PAMPA, TEXAS; Sept. 10—at Newton; Sept. 17—at Dodge City; Sept. 19—LIBERAL INV.; Sept. 22—SCOTT CITY; Sept. 29—at Dodge City; Oct. 5—at Hays; Oct. 6—CIMARRON; Oct. 10—at Derby Inv.; Oct. 13—GARDEN CITY; Oct. 17—WAC at Great Bend.
Coaches Preseason Poll: 1. Great Bend; 2. Garden City; 3. Liberal; 4. Hays; 5. Dodge City.
