BY JIM MISUNAS jmisunas@gbtribune.com As comebacks go, Great Bend's volleyball team achieved a rare feat rallying from a 2-set deficit to stun 6A Manhattan in Wednesday's 5-set thriller. No. 10 ranked 6A Manhattan dominated the first two sets 25-15, 25-11 keyed by Weber State commit Bailey Busch that might've convinced Indian fans to chant, "Warm Up the Bus." Great Bend coach Tina Johnson witnessed perhaps the greatest comeback she's seen in her longtime career. No. 5 5A ranked Great Bend rallied 25-15, 25-23 and 15-11 to surprise the Indians in five sets by mixing up their attack against the Indians' block at the net. Micah Ellegood's match-clinching block ended the marathon 5-set match between state-ranked teams. Supersub Baylie Kelly delivered the night's key point with a winner that clinched the fourth set 25-23 after Mikala Minton kept the point alive. "Our girls showed grit tonight. It was a great team effort, one of the most exciting matches I've coached," Johnson said. "It was awesome to see those girls finish that match tonight. They proved that a volleyball match can turn on a dime." Minton delivered fourth-set winners for point 22, 23 and 24 to set up Kelly's heroics. The Panthers were inspired by rising star Jaya Stroup and Washburn commit Kya Behr, who set, spiked and dived for every ball she could find. Meredith Mazouch and Catalina Schenek keyed the defensive saves. "Stevie Mayers and Micah Ellegood adjusted and figured out Manhattan's blocking," Johnson said. "We moved the ball to different spots and figured things out blocking and hitting. Jaya Stroup and Mikala Minton had their best stretches of the season. Jaya hit a rocket from the back row. Kya Behr did a great job leading us." Of course, court queen Alex Mayers fought off the adversity of getting two fingernails clipped after getting them bent back. Last year, she lost a tooth diving for a ball before delivering the match's final point. "Alex is a warrior who's had weird things happen to her," Johnson said. Johnson appreciated the student crowd that never lost hope. "Great Bend has a great student section that shows school spirit," Johnson said. "That was fun to see." Manhattan relied on a bevy of hard hitters Madison Stanard, Sophia Peabody, Ansley Becket along with setter Keeli Tope. "We started off hitting right into their block. We started nervous and scared, but we turned that around," Johnson said. "Manhattan's a great volleyball team that'll contend for a state brth. Bailey Busch is a 'beast' who can hit from anywhere." Manhattan beat rival Washburn Rural for the first time in 16 years earlier this season.