Time is of the essence for Derby High School volleyball, and the summer is a key time for development. It has been over 230 days since the Panthers last took the court for competition, and the revamped roster is inside the 70-day countdown until the first scheduled competition on Aug. 30. Those days include the two-week KSHSAA-mandated moratorium that restricts school-related offseason athletic activities. The Panthers are working to test new lineups and build team chemistry for the 2025 season.
Development is the primary focus for the Panthers during a busy summer to get some momentum for the year. The team has a decent balance of varsity returners and rising JV talent who could be contributors this season. This summer, head coach Shelby Kraus is working to transition to a different rotation with two setters on the court. The Panthers do not have a set lineup and use the summer to test players in different spots to see if there is potential for a versatile addition.
“We are about half and half between varsity returners and JV talent that have been moving up,” Kraus said. “We are trying to transition from a 5-1 to a 6-2 rotation. That is what we have been working on, and finding who is going to fit where, position-wise. Nothing is set because, during the summer, we like to switch things around. Sometimes you find out that someone can play a position that they haven’t played much.”
The Panthers hosted seven teams on June 10 in a summer tournament, one of the first of the offseason. Derby will round out the summer with a tournament at Newton in late June before going to a tournament in Goddard in late July.
On the court, developing chemistry has been the key priority. With a mix of returners and new players, chemistry and communication are the most important elements that Kraus is aiming to build. Kraus said that communication has been good, but would like to see more consistency throughout a match.
“We like the live competition for building chemistry and communication more than anything,” Kraus said. “We are learning how to play together and communicate. We had a match where we won the first game and communicated well, but got down early in the second game and went quiet. We just need to be more consistent on that.”
Early in the summer, the team has been in a positive environment, and a unique leadership style is developing. It is more team-focused leadership, where everyone has a voice and can step into a leadership role.
“The attitudes are great and everyone has been supportive of each other,” Kraus said. “We have seen more leadership by democracy. It is more of a team decision of identifying what they are going to do, which has been great.”
Competition is only half of the busy summer. The Panthers will host elementary school and middle school camps before going to a high-school-focused team camp at the University of Kansas in late July. The team will also build some skills and bond on a different surface with player-led sand volleyball late in the summer.
Among the busy summer, the end goal is focused on getting better, but Kraus wants to keep the summer fun so that the players feel refreshed for the grind of the regular season in August.
“The summer is about development,” Kraus said. “We want to find out who can play where, build team chemistry and have fun. We don’t want the summer to feel like a chore; we want it to be fun, but we also want to use it to get better.”