WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSTON-AREA VOLLEYBALL, IT’S SAFE TO ASSUME THAT THE MAJORITY OF CURRENT PLAYERS HAVE COMPETED SINCE THEY COULD PRACTICALLY WALK.
While that doesn’t happen to be the case for Tori Greeney of Willis High, she’s always been an athlete in one form or another.
“I’ve played multiple sports throughout my life before I got into volleyball,” she said. “I played soccer, I was in cheer and for about 10 years I was a competitive swimmer. That was mainly because of my Dad, since he was a swim coach.
“I finally tried volleyball and found my love for the sport because it relies on a team-aspect. I really enjoy that competitiveness and being able to rely on the bond with my teammates.”
Not only did she discover her love for the game, but quite the skill-set for it as well, evidenced by the impressive stat-line (250 kills, 265 digs, 427 receptions, 22 blocks) she put up a year ago that led to second-team, all-district honors.
However, the journey wasn’t without its challenges.
“I’ve been on varsity since my freshman year, but it was very intimidating,” said Greeney. “It was really hard to get to know the girls at first, but they’ve been so welcoming. Developing a relationship with all of them came with a lot of support, which I’ve tried to do as I’ve gotten older. From my position, you really have to progress in that leadership role, when starting off that young on a team like this.”
It didn’t take long for Greeney to make connections on the Willis squad, which naturally features some fond memories.
“The most memorable moment that I’ve experienced in this program so far - and I’m sure some of the other returners share it -was when we went to Austin last year for a tournament,” she said. “We had a cooking competition, which was just so fun because we were working together, on the clock. Of course, it got really competitive since we were on teams, but that’s part of what made it fun.”
Despite contending in what could easily be considered the state’s most talented district, Willis has the talent to cause some upsets in the coming months.
That would be the perfect way for one of their star outside hitters to garner some well-deserved attention.
“The goal is to compete at a very high level in college someday,” Greeney said. “I want to hopefully go to a Division I school. I have some offers from some D2 schools as of right now, but I’m trying to eventually get that greater opportunity down the line.”
When she’s not hanging out with friends, swimming at her family’s lake house or partaking in her guilty pleasure of Grey’s Anatomy this fall, Greeney and the Wildkats should anticipate a resurgence under the direction of first-year head coach Kayla Jenkins.
Stay tuned.