BY BRETT MARSHALL
Since the became a freshman starter on the 2023 Great Bend Panther volleyball team, Kya Behr has become an instrumental component of the team’s success.
The 5-10 setter has played a big role in helping the Panthers to three consecutive WAC Championships and two Class 5A state tournament appearances.
It was little surprise when the WAC coaches voted Behr the 2025 Player of the Year. She led the team to a 28-11 record, a WAC title and 5A state tournament appearance
“All the hard work paid off,” said Behr. “All of my friends o the team share in this award because I couldn’t do this without them. It’s a reflection of how hard we all work. We share in this.”
Behr plays the entire six-rotation system, so she’s on the court at all times. Behr recorded 147 winners with a hitting percentage of .277, served 46 aces, delivered 305 digs and 805 assists.
For her three-year career, she had 517 winners, a .260 hitting percentage, 123 aces, 898 digs and 2,223 assists.
“Our freshman year, we ran a different system. Now we’re running a 5-1 which is what I play in club volleyball,” Behr said. “It's made the transition to the high school season easier.”
Playing setter, Behr sees herself much like a quarterback on a football team.
“You’re the one who has to make the right decisions,” she said. “You have to have a dominant mindset. I’m blessed that we have a strong serve-receive as a team and have good back row players. You’ve got to be able to be in the right position to make the right placement. You have to have the right mentality.”
Another key element to being a successful setter, Behr said, is to possess court vision.
“You have to know where the blockers are in order to find the open angles for shots,” Behr said. “We’ve got a lot of the team who are good at different positions on the floor. That makes us a better team. You’ve got to have faith in your teammates.”
Behr recalls that one-day Washburn Rural tournament in which they came home without a win.
“It was an eye-opener,” she said. “We saw speed and blocks that we’ve never seen. We had to build a better way to play and everyone stepped up. Our chemistry is very good considering we have seniors to freshmen playing. The senior leaders have been so supportive and encouraging to the younger players.”
When the team hosted the WAC championship, Behr said she knew they had a target on their back.
“Everyone was going to give us their best shot,” Behr said. “Now that we’ve won three WAC banners, we’re going to work hard to get that fourth one.”
