CHADRON, Neb. – Freshman Kali Reiners is competing in her first collegiate volleyball season this year, following in the footsteps of her parents, Jennifer Vasey Reiners and John Reiners, who both competed in Chadron State College athletics.
Jennifer played volleyball for four years and basketball for two, but was a star for the Eagles on the volleyball court. She was inducted into the CSC Hall of Fame in 2010, after setting the school record for single season and career hitting percentage, then went on to be a teacher and middle school coach.
John was also a two-sport athlete in football and track and field, then had a successful college coaching career. He was the head track coach for CSC track and field for 11 years and was an assistant coach for the Eagles football team, then spent eight years as the head football coach for Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.
After splitting time between Chadron and Spearfish, Kali has chosen to attend the same school as her parents and continue her athletic and academic career at Chadron State College. In her freshman season so far, Kali has appeared in 17 sets across six matches. She has eight assists, 29 digs, two kills and two aces.
Coming up with coaches
Growing up with two coaches in the house gave Kali a unique outlook inside of athletics.
"I'm not trying to be biased, but they are probably two of the most respected coaches ever," Kali said. "My dad still has his past players texting him, he goes to weddings and all that stuff. My mom has people call her and tell her the impact she had on them."
Despite being successful coaches, the Reiners parents said they worked hard to keep coaching out of their family lives, letting their children make their own choices.
"We had what was called the 24-hour rule. What that meant was, right after a game, we were always parents first for the first 24 hours. Then if they asked us, we would go in on some coaching points with them," Jennifer said.
Although the two kept stiff boundaries between their careers and their family lives, Kali said she learned important lessons from them that carry through to her athletic career.
"Coming from a coaching background, I learned a lot about discipline and being coachable. I learned a lot of the values of being a good teammate. They taught me way more than just sports," Kali said.
Journey to volleyball
Despite both parents working in sports, Kali still impressed them with her desire to be around athletics.
"She truly loved it," John said. "She would sit down and memorize the Spearfish High School rosters. She knew every number, every person, every position."
Kali turned interest into action when she started playing organized volleyball in seventh grade. The year after, as an eighth grader, she was playing on high school varsity. Playing on varsity began to grow a love for volleyball in Kali, which led her to work towards her goal of competing in college.
"She used to take the pictures down off of the walls in my basement and set the ball against my walls, and she kind of found her passion," Jen said.
Whether it was on the court or in her home, John and Jen said Kali had always had the drive needed for college sports.
"She was not afraid to tell her older siblings, 'Hey, you gotta be better. You have to work harder at this.' She was just driven. So it's no surprise to even her siblings that she had the success she had," John said.
Road to Chadron
Chadron State head volleyball coach Jen Stadler has known Kali through her parents since Stadler's collegiate career at Black Hills State, but did not start paying attention to her playing until high school. After seeing Kali's success, Stadler invited Kali to a prospect camp.
"Throughout the course of that camp, I just knew she was an athlete that we needed in our gym," Stadler said. "She's very talented technically, and a great overall volleyball athlete, but the thing that stuck out to me the most about her was her character. She is constantly bringing energy. She probably only knew a handful of athletes [at the camp], but she was supporting everybody there and cheering for them."
Despite having both competed at CSC, the Reiner parents did not interfere with Kali's decision on where to continue her volleyball career.
"They made sure that it was my decision," Kali said. "I felt really called here because my mom went here and I wanted to carry on her legacy. As soon as I thought about Chadron, I kind of just knew."
Mother and daughter
Once Kali decided on Chadron State, she wanted to take her mom's legacy further by wearing the same jersey number as her, No. 16.
"That was a big honor and a privilege for me, that she thought enough of me to have chosen my number and to have made such a big deal about it," Jen said. "I'm appreciative that what I did was important enough for her to want to follow."
Despite wearing the same number, the two's volleyball careers are not likely to have many similarities beyond that.
During Jen's collegiate career she competed as a middle hitter, while Kali is a setter.
"I had nothing to do with any of her playing. You couldn't have two more opposite positions in volleyball," Jen said.
Jen said because of the differences in their careers, she is careful to not compare their playing experiences.
"I'm really careful because when I played it was different, and I never wanted any of my kids to ever feel like they couldn't accomplish just as much, if not more, than I did. So I honestly never really talked a lot about my playing career, only to teach lessons," Jen said.
Kali echoed these thoughts, saying she feels no pressure to live up to her mothers playing career.
"I think it motivates me. I don't feel any pressure at all. I know that they are going to be in my corner no matter what. No matter what happens, they're going to be proud of me, whether I play or not," Kali said.
Off the court
Despite the family's athletic success, the Reiners family said it matters more who you are behind the jersey.
"Our most gratifying compliments are when we have a freshman say, 'Oh my gosh, Kali helped so and so through a tough time.' Being a leader, a captain, that's more gratifying for Jen and I to hear those compliments," John said.
Kali was raised with the mindset of being a positive, uplifting influence within her team and outside of her team.
"I don't have any statistical goals, because that really doesn't matter to me. I really just want to be a light on the team," Kali said.
Stadler said Kali has already made a difference in team morale by showing her personality.
"Her ability to make others feel seen and valued as a freshman is a hard task, but that's just the human that she is," Stadler said. "I think she's going to grow into a tremendous leader for our program, our campus and our community, and just somebody that can be looked up to."
Yellow Jackets to Eagles
The Eagles will face off against Black Hills State Tuesday, September 22, in Spearfish. For the Reiners, Spearfish locals, the decision of who to support is complicated. Kali's club and high school teammate from Spearfish, Adelyn Bouman, is a freshman on the Black Hills State roster.
While the parents will be rooting for Kali's past teammate, they said that they will be cheering on the Eagles, wearing cardinal and white only.
"It's one of those things where, obviously, family is always more important," John said.
