BENTONVILLE -- Michelle Smith remembers a time when Savanna Riney would sit on her lap, and the two of them would keep score during the time Riney's two older sisters played club volleyball for Smith.
Riney is now about to wrap up her fourth and final season with Bentonville High's volleyball team, which begins Class 6A state tournament play Wednesday afternoon in Cabot. Riney has grown up with the Lady Tigers, and the bond she shares with Smith remains stronger than the usual player-coach relationships.
Class 6A State Volleyball Tournament
at Cabot
Tuesday
Match 1 C4 Fort Smith Northside vs. W5 Rogers High, 1 p.m.
Match 2 W3 Fayetteville vs. C6 Mount St. Mary, 3 p.m.
Match 3 W4Van Buren vs. C5 Cabot, 5 p.m.
Match 4 C3 North Little Rock vs. W6 Bentonville West, 7 p.m.
Wednesday
Match 5 W1 Fort Smith Southside vs. Match 1 winner, 1 p.m.
Match 6 C2 Conway vs. Match 2 winner, 3 p.m.
Match 7 C1 Fort Smith Southside vs. Match 3 winner, 5 p.m.
Match 8 W2 Springdale Har-Ber vs. Match 4 winner, 7 p.m.
Thursday
Match 9 Match 5 winner vs. Match 6 winner, 1 p.m.
Match 10 Match 7 winner vs. Match 8 winner, 3 p.m.
"She's kind of been like my second mom," Riney said of Smith. "She's helped me grow up, and she's been my role model, basically. It's been nice knowing that I can trust her."
Riney said she couldn't wait for her time to come to be on Bentonville's volleyball team and play for Smith. During that time she spent on Smith's lap, Riney witnessed what her older siblings had done on the court and wanted to do just a little bit more than they did.
That time finally came, and it was a little bit quicker for her than most players who earn the opportunity for the Lady Tigers. Riney became one of the very few players that Smith brought up as a freshman to play varsity volleyball instead of her playing on Bentonville's ninth-grade team.
"I think every Riney sister brought something unique to the team," Smith said. "The major difference in Savanna, compared to her other two sisters, is she brought a lot of power and strength to the front row. Her two sisters were primarily liberos or defensive specialists.
"It was funny, with her being the youngest and being so little, was watching her grow up and wondering what was going to happen. All of a sudden, she hit her ninth-grade year and skyrocketed. That's when we decided to put her on the front row."
Riney finished third on the team in kills with 150 during her freshman season and fourth the following year with 153 kills. She then led Bentonville in that department last year and this year, and she recently celebrated her 1,000th career kill at a tournament in Blue Valley, Kan., during the early stages of a match against Liberty (Mo.) North.
However, her defensive play over the past two seasons has shown great improvement. Riney had only a combined 154 digs her first two years, she has averaged more than 10 digs per match the past two years.
"I had to improve my defense," Riney said. "I always wanted to be an all-around player, and I never really was until this year. Basically, I made sure I was really coachable, and every time a coach would tell me something to do, I made sure I fixed it at that moment and make it become a habit."
While Riney gets noticed for the combination of power and touch she can display on the front row, opposing teams must be on alert when it's her turn to serve. Once the official blows the whistle, Riney wastes little time and immediately puts the ball into play again.
As a result, she's recorded 37 aces this season, including a season-high five in the season opener against Siloam Springs and three during a critical match against Fayetteville that helped Bentonville win the 6A-West title.
"It's almost like a starting block -- the whistle goes off, and the ball is in the air," Smith said. "That's one of the things I really enjoy about her. She can definitely carry the tempo of the game, not only in the front row but in the back row when she is serving. It's hard to control tempo with the serve, but she manages to do that.
"It's been fun with Savanna. She's one of the players you can joke around with, and she'll joke around with you. She still keeps it light and funny and doesn't get caught up in the moment. She's a good, well-rounded kid, and sometimes she even brings me back down to earth when I get riled up and upset during a game. I'll look to her, and she's the first one to make me laugh or smile."
Sports on 10/27/2019