Dodge City volleyball hit the road to start the 2026 season, traveling to Council Bluffs, Iowa, to compete at the Reiver Classic, posting a 3-1 record in four matches.
The 3-1 start to the season is the best under head coach
Erin Mellinger and the best start to a season for the Conquistadors since 2021. Conqs opened the season with a three-set sweep of Western Nebraska (25-22, 25-20, 25-18) and then split day one of the Reiver Classic, falling in four sets to #15 Indian Hills (25-14, 24-26, 23-25, 13-25). Day two saw the Conqs grab a pair of wins, beating Eastern Wyoming in four sets (25-23, 25-18, 15-25, 25-12) and sweeping Central Wyoming (25-19, 25-18, 25-16).
Won 3-0 vs Western Nebraska
Dodge City opened the 2026 season with a battle against a stout Western Nebraska team in the first matchup at the Reiver Classic, winning in three sets and taking each set by a wider margin as the match progressed. The Conqs squeezed past Western Nebraska in the first set, 25-22, then took the second set 25-20, before capping the match with a 25-18 third set.
In the victory,
Anete Celnova had a solid Conq debut, recording 14 kills and seven digs.
Kayla Cantrill started her sophomore year with an 11-kill performance, while
Sunni Skipps added seven kills and 14 digs.
Isabel Lopez Usma and
Chelsea Durbridge orchestrated the offense, posting 23 and 11 assists, respectively.
Lost 3-1 vs #15 Indian Hills
A battle with a nationally ranked team loomed in game two of the Reiver Classic for the Conqs as they took on #15 Indian Hills, and while the Conqs started strong, they ultimately fell in four sets. Conqs controlled the first set, taking it 25-13, but Indian Hills snuck past the Conqs in the second and third sets, 24-26 and 23-25, before grabbing the fourth set, 13-25.
In the loss, Celnova posted 10 kills and eight digs, while Cantrill chipped in nine kills and Skipps posted an eight-kill and nine-dig performance.
Rian Muntaner tallied 11 digs, while Lopez Usma and Durbridge each posted double figure assists with 18 and 14.
Won 3-1 vs Eastern Wyoming
Day two of the Reiver Classic saw the Conqs battle with Eastern Wyoming, earning a four-set win by taking the first and second sets, 25-23 and 25-18, coming from behind in the first set. The third set was a rough one for the Conqs, falling 15-25, but they bounced back with a dominant fourth set, taking it 25-12 to win the match.
Celnova, for the third straight match, recorded double-digit kills, finishing with 16, and had a double-double with 13 digs.
Delaney Childs added three kills and eight block assists, while Skipps posted 13 digs and Muntaner added 11. Durbridge and Lopez Usma again both recorded double digit assists with 13 and 18.
Won 3-0 vs Central Wyoming
The Conqs capped the Reiver Classic with their third win of the weekend, breaking out the brooms for a three-set sweep over Central Wyoming, winning 25-19, 25-18, and 25-16.
Skipps led the Conqs offense with 14 kills with six digs, and four block assists. Lopez Usma posted 17 assists, while Durbridge posted 11 assists and Muntaner recorded 11 digs.
Up next, the Conqs jump into KJCCC action as they will host Pratt on Tuesday, August 25
th at 6:30 pm for the first conference match of the season. Conqs will then host the annual Victory Electric Classic and will play three games during the tournament, facing Eastern Wyoming and Iowa Western on Friday, August 28
th at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm, and then playing Trinidad State on Saturday, August 29
th at 7:00 pm.
