Now full-time starting setter, Kiana Reed setting stage for undefeated Lake Travis volleyball

Before the volleyball season began, Lake Travis coach Brandace Boren handed the keys to her team’s high-revving offense to setter Kiana Reed.

The Cavs haven’t slowed down since.

Ranked No. 4 in Class 6A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association, Lake Travis has dropped just one set all season while racing to an 11-0 record. The Cavs have already swept the two other teams in District 26-6A ranked by the TGCA — Austin High and Westlake — and appear on track to claim the school’s first undisputed district title in the state’s highest classification.

The emergence of Reed as the primary setter has been a major reason for the team’s success. Boren, who has run a 6-2 rotation for most of her seven seasons as the Cavs’ head coach, switched to a 5-1 rotation in the offseason. That means one setter — in this case, Reed — plays all the way around the rotation.

“The moment that I went to Kiana in the offseason and said, ‘Kiana, I’m going to give you this role,’ she said, ‘OK, let’s go,’ ” Boren said. “She is a great leader. Because she works hard every single day, the players around her respect her. These girls, they want to be a good team. This is a special group; they really love each other, and it’s showing on the court. Kiana is a big reason for that.”

The numbers back that up. Reed ranks second in the state with 11.2 assists per set, according to statistics compiled by MaxPreps. She spreads the wealth to the Cavs’ array of hitters, as evidenced by the four Lake Travis players who average at least 1.9 kills per set.

“I worked hard in the offseason to earn that spot,” said Reed, a 5-foot-7 junior who had 484 assists for the Cavs while running a 6-2 rotation as a sophomore. “Getting to play with every single hitter, it’s been really fun.”

That chemistry with hitters is the primary positive for proponents of the 5-1 rotation. Familiarity with the sets helps hitters find a better rhythm on their swings, and that can help enhance the team’s chemistry.

“For me, the 5-1 is a great thing because you can build that relationship with just one setter, and Kiana really works to build a relationship with everyone,” said classmate Arden Besecker, who ranks second on the team behind Jamison Wheeler with 101 kills. “She’s really talented. Whenever she sets it to me, I feel like I have an open net. She’s so tricky out there, and she’s so smart.”

Boren, a San Antonio native who played setter at the University of Texas-San Antonio, said Reed has also become an ideal on-court conduit for her coaching.

“Me being a college setter, I see stuff and try to communicate that, and she executes it every time,” Boren said. “She’s so coachable. She’s a player that makes everyone around her better.”

But playing setter, especially in a 5-1 rotation, means much more than precise sets and smart decisions. The position inherently requires a deft touch on and off the court. Even the best hitters occasionally fire balls out of bounds or into the net, and a word of encouragement can mean as much as a perfect set.

“That’s huge,” Besecker said. “Sometimes it’s, like, ‘Oh, it’s so hard to get a shot in.’ And she’ll say, ‘Don’t worry; I’m going to get you a great set.’ She’s a really positive leader on this team, and we’re grateful to have her this year. We've been doing really well this year, and a lot of that is thanks to Kiana.”

That’s a trait the best setters always seem to have, said Boren.

“She's going to love on her hitters,” the coach said. “She encourages them no matter what. If people are struggling, she will go over there and rub their back and give them the right words to get their heads right.”

Reed also uses the right words to describe her team’s chances of reaching the state tournament for the first time since winning back-to-back Class 4A titles in 2011 and 2012.

“Our offense is killing it, but honestly, it’s all about our defense,” she said. “We’re playing really good defense and working on our block in practice. That’s what we’ll need the rest of the season.”

Setting the stage

Kiana Reed of Lake Travis isn’t the only setter running a 5-1 rotation for a first-place team this season. These setters have all led their teams to the top of their district standings while handling full-time setting duties.

Faith Cox, Cedar Ridge: Junior in second season as starter averages 9.8 assists a set for District 25-6A leader.

Karys Dove, Hendrickson: Junior in third year as starter averages 9.6 assists per set for first-place team in District 18-5A.

Dylan Gilkey, Cedar Park: Sophomore in second season as starter averages 8.4 assists per set for a team atop District 25-5A.

KK Ruiz, Ann Richards: Senior stalwart and four-year letter winner averages 7.7 assists for District 17-5A leader.

Savannah Skopal, Rouse: Freshman has taken over offense for perennial powerhouse and averages 9.3 assists a set for unbeaten team in 25-5A.