photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence volleyball breaks down a huddle in a road match against Olathe North on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026 in Olathe. The Lions lost the first two sets by over 10 points before battling back and winning the third set 25-23. The Eagles nearly came back from down 22-18, but the Lions did just enough at the end of the set to secure the win. In the final set, the Lions led for the first half, but the Eagles pulled away to win the set 25-15 and win the match 3-1.

OLATHE — Lawrence volleyball’s season hasn’t gone the way the team hoped. With a winless record a week before the end of the season, the Lions have had a lot of down moments and difficult losses.

But the Lions haven’t stopped fighting, no matter the score or how many sets they’re down. Tuesday’s road loss to Olathe North showed just that again, where the Lions won the third set of a 3-1 match loss.

“It’s been a challenging season for us,” Lawrence coach Michael Dunlap said. “It was nice to see some fight after we got down two sets. That is a win for us today.”

The Lions lost by double digits in the first two sets, falling 25-14 in the opening set and 25-12 in the second set. But Lawrence brought energy and excitement into the next set. Dunlap said he saw the Lions dive to the ground more in this match than he has almost all of this season, showing how the team’s fight is still high.

Lawrence and Olathe North went back-and-forth at the start of the third set, though the Eagles took an early 7-4 lead. The Lions tied it up at 11 and neither team took a lead larger than two points until Lawrence junior Libby English’s ace put the Lions up 21-18, which led to an Olathe North timeout.

The Lions pushed to a 24-19 lead, but the Eagles came back to make the set close. A few errors helped the Eagles cut the Lawrence lead to 24-23, but the Lions got the final point to win the set 25-23.

“Winning a set is hard,” Dunlap said. “Those last five points are hard. We have to get to a point where we are able to execute. I’m glad we were able to execute, rather than that point being given to us.”

The Lions carried the momentum into the fourth set and held the lead for the majority of the first half. Eventually, the Eagles took a four-point lead and finished the set on an 11-4 run to win 25-15.

“The flashes have been there, and the flashes have been really fun,” Dunlap said. “Even in the times we get swept, you look at that final score and see we got swept again, but there’s a lot of good in there. Tonight it was good to see us get over the finish line, even if to get one set.”

Lawrence doesn’t have a lot of season left, and a miraculous playoff run starting at substate is getting further and further away. But there’s still much for the team to play for and show in the final three matches.

“A challenging season like this, you’ll see everything under the sun,” Dunlap said. “We have a talented team. We’re inexperienced, we make a lot of mistakes. When we play mistake-free volleyball like we did in set three… the talent is enough. The execution has to be there.”

The Lawrence roster has a lot of returning players for next year, and Dunlap believes there’s a lot to build on from this season.

“I want to see who is going to show up and fight,” Dunlap said. “It’s easy to say, ‘The season is over, we’re not making it to substate, let’s just get it over.’ Or we can say, ‘Hey, today is another day to play volleyball and show what we’re made of.’ Leave it all out there.”

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior setter Libby English sets the ball in a road match against Olathe North on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026 in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior outside hitter Ayana Polite hits the ball in a road match against Olathe North on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026 in Olathe.

photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence sophomore libero Katelyn Valbuena, left, and senior defensive specialist prepare for the serve receive in a road match against Olathe North on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026 in Olathe.