Is being the best volleyball player from NJ a little like being the best surfer from Montana? ;-)
Nia Reed played a few points at the end of last night's match. There was a recent match where she subbed in when the team was struggling and she was a big part of turning it around. She is contributing but hasn't cracked the starting lineup.
No idea. But, this article made her seem like a once in a lifetime player.....
Girls volleyball: Nia Reed is the player of the year for 2013
Nia Reed of Immaculate Heart is the player of the year for girls volleyball. (Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger)
By Richard Greco/For The Star-Ledger
on December 22, 2013 1:30 AM
From the season's opening tournament,
the Jersey Classic, it was clear that this year was going to be all about Nia Reed. Every time she spiked the ball, spectators and players alike couldn't help but smirk, shake their heads and mouth the word wow.
That's what Reed does -- she leaves opponents and fans in awe.
"She's one of the best players ever," Immaculate Heart coach Maria Nolan said following the team's
triumph in the Tournament of Champions final over North Hunterdon. "A player like Nia comes around once every 30-something years. I'm glad a lot of people got to see her. I wish I would've put an article out somewhere saying that anybody who is involved with volleyball in New Jersey should come watch Nia play because she's so special. She's a once-in-a-lifetime player."
At the end of last season, Reed received The Star-Ledger Player of the Year award as well as the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year, and her senior season saw her turn more heads than ever.
"Last year, she would have hit that ball out-of-bounds," said Ramapo assistant coach Matthew O'Neill during the Jersey Classic final. "Now she keeps everything in. Right when you think she couldn't get any better, she did."
That was the thing about Reed's game that was the most impressive -- she always got better. She didn't play the back line until her senior year and when opponents tried to serve at her to eliminate her from the play, Reed simply passed the ball to setter Caitlyn Floyd. While Reed always had the raw talent and size -- she stands at 6-2 -- she harnessed control over her ability, which made her the most dangerous player in New Jersey.
"She didn't realize the potential she had when she was a freshman," Nolan said. "As coaches, Mike (DeCastro) and I could see how special she was. You could see that she was going to be this good."
Her senior season saw Reed achieve more milestones than ever. She led Immaculate Heart with 510 kills, build a 65-percent kill percentage in the process, and finished her career with 1,394 kills.
She reached the 1,000-kill plateau as IHA tied for the third in the
Brentwood Invitational Tournament in Tennessee.
Behind the consistent play from Reed in the middle, Immaculate Heart became the first team in school history to win the Garden State Challenge, Bergen County Tournament, Non-Public title and Tournament of Champions title, as well as finish with 46 victories, the most in state history.
"There was no way that I thought I'd have 1,000 kills by the end of my career and be one of the top players to come out of New Jersey," said Reed, who next fall joins a Penn State program that is currently ranked second in the nation. "I'm happy to say that I'm honored to achieve so much."
Reed was a celebrity around volleyball culture in and out of the state.
She was the girl that aspiring volleyball players waited to take advice from and opponents posed for pictures with after she slammed the ball past them countless times. Reed was never overwhelmed by the constant spotlight. She took it all in stride with a smile on her face, because she was playing the game she loves.
"I'm going to remember my high school career and all the amazing girls that were on my team and all the coaches that got me this far," said Reed, who was named to the Under Armour All-American first team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. "Everybody says, 'Don't forget me when you play at Penn State.' How could I forget any of my teammates? They've been with me since day one."
Follow Richard Greco at
@RichardGrecoHS
Email Richard Greco at
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