By Joanna Chadwick
Tayana Martin understands exactly what her role is as a defensive specialist — pass well, serve well.
She has lived up to that through the course of the volleyball season at Wichita Heights.
“You’re setting up the pass for a play for our setters to set and our hitters to hit off of,” she said. “Basically, since you’re setting up a play, when you do get that kill or a good play off it, it makes you feel good because the team can rely on you.
“… A good dig, a good dive, it just feels great.”
Martin’s got goals to play college volleyball and even study sports medicine to be an athletic trainer.
But she spent her offseason focused on strength and conditioning, even focusing on sand volleyball with her teammates as a way to get stronger while getting touches on the ball.
“The sand drags you down, so it makes you have quick reactions,” she said.
Sub-state volleyball is on Saturday. Sub-state winners play in a quarterfinal match on Oct. 27 in a best-of-five match to advance to state. State volleyball is a one-day tournament — Class 6A, 4A and 2A are Oct. 31, while 5A, 3A, 1A-I and 1A-II are Oct. 31.
Area sub-states
Class 6A
At Wichita Southeast — Campus, Derby, Wichita South, Wichita Southeast, Wichita West
At Wichita Heights — East, Heights, North, Northwest
Class 5A
At Great Bend — Great Bend, Hays, Salina Central, Salina South
At Maize South — Eisenhower, Goddard, Maize, Maize South
At Kapaun — Ark City, Bishop Carroll, Kapaun, Valley Center
At Andover Central — Andover, Andover Central, Emporia, Newton
Class 4A
At Pratt — Andale, Buhler, Nickerson, Pratt, Ulysses
At Wellington — Clearwater, Mulvane, Wellington, Winfield
At Circle — Augusta, Circle, El Dorado, McPherson, Rose Hill
At Clay Center — Abilene,Chapman, Clay Center, Concordia
Class 3A
At Russell — Beloit, Ellsworth, Hoisington, Larned, Norton, Phillipsburg, Russell, Thomas More Prep
At Cheney — Chaparral, Cheney, Douglass, Halstead, Haven, Kingman, Trinity Academy, Wichita Collegiate
At Smoky Valley — Council Grove, Hesston, Lyons, Minneapolis, Riley County, Rock Creek, Smoky Valley, SE-Saline
At Burlington — Anderson County, Burlington, Eureka, Fredonia, Neodesha, Osage City, Santa Fe Trail, West Franklin
Class 2A
At WaKeeney — Ell-Saline, Ellinwood, Ellis, Hill City, Hoxie, Plainville, Smith Center, WaKeeney
At Inman — Berean Academy, Hillsboro, Hutchinson Trinity, Inman, Moundridge, Remington, Sedgwick, Sterling
At Garden Plain — Belle Plaine, Bluestem, Conway Springs, Cedar Vale-Dexter, Garden Plain, Independent, Medicine Lodge, Sedan, West Elk
At Herington — Bennington, Herington, Marion, Salina Sacred Heart, Republic County, Valley Heights, Wabaunsee, Washington County
Class 1A-I
At Little River — Canton-Galva, Fairfield, Goessel, Little River, Norwich, Pratt Skyline, Pretty Prairie
At Udall — Caldwell, Central-Burden, Flinthills, Oxford, Udall, Wichita Classical School
Class 1A-II
At South Barber — Argonia, Ashland, Attica, Cunningham, South Barber, South Central, South Haven
At Linn — Beloit St. John’s-Tipton, Linn, Osborne, Pike Valley, Southern Cloud, Tescott
At Burrton — Burrton, Centre, Elyria Christian, Hutchinson Central Christian, Peabody-Burns, Wichita Central Christian Academy
