How Wichita North volleyball went from perennial losing team to ranked in Kansas

It can be hard to shed a stigma around a program not accustomed to winning.

When the current crop of seniors on the North volleyball team began high school, the program was lucky to win a handful of varsity games in a season.

“We never really had a sense of confidence that we could actually win,” North senior Tori Buss said. “We just kind of went in and played and then went, ‘Oh well’ when we lost.”

Thanks to a combination of perseverance and determination, that same group has guided North to an 18-4 record, second-best in the Class 6A West standings, and a No. 8 ranking in 6A from Kansas Volleyball Association entering the Circle tournament on Saturday.

The Redhawks are currently on a 10-match winning streak, highlighted by a straight-set win over Kapaun Mt. Carmel, ranked No. 7 in 5A, last week. For so long, winning that type of match was unimaginable for North.

“This season has meant so much to us because we are beating teams that people don’t expect North High to beat,” North senior Andrea Hernandez said. “Back when we were freshmen and sophomores, everyone was so used to us losing against those big schools. But now it’s honestly such a great feeling to show how much potential North has.”

Turning North into a winner has been far from an overnight process for head coach Jessica Keys, who took over the program in 2018.

Many losing seasons followed before Keys, a former Division I volleyball player at Wichita State, began to see her foundational work at establishing a culture pay off. It correlated with the arrival of the current seniors back in 2021 and a critical decision was made by Keys to keep the majority of them on the freshman team, instead of taking their lumps early at the varsity level.

“We didn’t have a winning culture and that took a lot of time to build,” Keys said. “What I learned was that when you pull kids up, they enjoy being on varsity, but they don’t learn how to be that dominant force on the court. So I kept that group together and they stayed together and learned together.

“When they were younger, I really praised them for all of the stuff they were doing right. They had to gain that confidence first. And then over time, I pulled that back and became a little bit more demanding of them and they’ve just taken off. Coaching these girls is the best part of my day.”

It’s been a case of steady progression over the four-year careers of Buss, Hernandez, Cora Daggett, Ytzel Grajeda-Del Rio and Valerie Ayala. Last season, they posted the first winning record (20-13) at North in more than a decade.

They’ve since added key additions in senior setter Michela Baiano, a foreign exchange student from Italy who has elevated the offense with her skill, Ryann Daggett, a dynamic sophomore outside hitter with Division I potential, and Sydney Araiza, a freshman who has helped as a defensive specialist on the back row. It’s also helped having height at the net like Cora Daggett (6-foot-3), Ryann Daggett (6-1), Buss (5-11) and Hernandez (6-1).

It wasn’t long ago when no player North believed the team could challenge the best in the City League. It even took some time this season, as North dropped its first three games in league play.

But after taking down Kapaun and Northwest during their 10-match winning streak, the Redhawks are showing how much their culture has changed and how much they believe they can chase after the program’s first state berth since 2004.

“When we used to go play Carroll or Kapaun or Northwest, there was a little piece in your mind that says you should lose because that’s the way it’s always been,” Keys said. “It’s hard to change the culture and get your kids to feel confident that they can beat those teams. I just kept trying to build them up and telling them, ‘You don’t have to be perfect to beat them, you just have to be yourself and play your game.’ That’s what they’ve done.”

City League volleyball standings