Looking to take another step forward, the Dodge City volleyball team enters year four under Head Coach Erin Mellinger, eager to challenge for a top-flight finish in the KJCCC and compete nationally.
Year three under Coach Mellinger saw the Conquistadors finish just 16-14 on the season and fourth in the KJCCC, ending their season in the Region 6 Semifinals for the fourth straight year. 
 
The 2026 season sees the Conqs with a 15-man roster, with five returning sophomores to lead the way. Three of the five sophomores played in all 30 matches last season, as Kayla Cantrill, Chelsea Durbridge, and Sunni Skipps all return. Chaehee Baek and Dora Csanyi are also back after seeing action in their freshman season. 
 
Cantrill is back as an outside hitter and a first-team All-KJCCC honoree, having tallied 297 kills with a 2.75 kills-per-set average last season. She added 219 digs, 52 blocks, and 51 aces; she led the team in kills and was second in aces. Durbridge helped orchestrate the Conqs offense from the setter position, recording 1,009 assists on her way to first-team All-KJCCC honors. She averaged 9.34 assists per set, while proving to be a jack-of-all-trades, contributing in several ways with 207 digs, 35 aces, 75 kills, and 78 blocks. Skipps was one of three Conqs with 200+ kills last season, finishing with 208, playing at the outside hitter/right-side spot. She led the team with 56 aces, while adding 248 digs and 22 blocks. 
 
Baek, after starting her freshman season slow coming off an injury, slipped into a nice role at middle blocker for the Conqs, playing in 21 matches and recording 87 kills, 13 aces, 50 digs, and 32 blocks. Csanyi saw limited action, posting 17 kills on the season for the Conqs. 
 
Ten incoming freshmen look to step into roles for the Conqs and contribute in many ways to compete in the KJCCC and NJCAA. 
 
Conqs schedule includes a full slate of KJCCC games with home-and-away series with the other eight KJCCC Division I teams, while also competing in four non-conference tournaments. To open the season, the Conqs travel to Council Bluffs, Iowa to compete at the Reiver Classic, playing four games on August 21^st and 22nd, then will host the annual Victory Electric Classic in Dodge City on August 21^st-22^nd, playing three matches during the tournament. Conqs will also make a pair of long trips to Miami, Florida, and Hobbs, New Mexico, to compete at the Miami Dade Tournament and the New Mexico JC Tournament.