As a freshman at Rudolf Steiner High School, Nya Greenstone was the top volleyball player at one of the smallest schools in the state. With her skills -- and height to match -- she was the definition of a big fish in a small pond.

Three years later and now a senior at Pioneer, the tenth largest high school in the state, Greenstone still stands out among her peers.

The 2010 AnnArbor.com Player of the Year had already developed a significant skill set by the time she enrolled at Rudolf Steiner. Before her sophomore year, Greenstone and her family decided it was time to move to a larger school.

One motivating factor behind the decision to transfer was that Greenstone had set a goal to play in college. She and her parents knew playing at the Class A level would help her in that pursuit.

Goodbye Rudolf Steiner, student enrollment of less than 100. Hello Pioneer, student enrollment (at the time) of 2,852.

“There was a lot of competition that year,” Greenstone said. “Going into Pioneer I was young, and it was a lot different than being at Steiner. But I think I grew the most that first year. It was so competitive and I had a lot of girls to look up to.”

Pioneer coach Amy Hoag knew little of Greenstone before that fall of 2008.

“I saw her that summer for conditioning a little bit, but it was at tryouts that we got to see her full capabilities,” Hoag said. “She was a powerful hitter, even then. And she had a confidence and a maturity about that game, it was clear she was ahead of her game as a sophomore.”

She grew from a sophomore that occasionally played to a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter that this year led the Pioneers to a 37-17-2 record with 498 kills and 411 digs. She earned all-Southeastern Conference Red Division first team honors and was a Class A All-State honorable mention.

Fulfilling her goal, she’ll head to the University of Toledo next fall to continue her playing career at the Division I level.

“We had a great season this year,” Greenstone said of her final year in a Pioneer uniform. “Districts didn’t end how we would have liked (a 3-1 finals loss to Brighton), but we had a lot of fun. It was a great senior year for me.”

Among the highlights, Greenstone says, was Pioneer’s championship at the Huron invitational in the regular season’s final weekend. But what she'll remember most is all the team dinners and late nights with her teammates and coaches.

“I really appreciate the coaches I’ve had,” she said. “Amy’s a great coach. She can connect with us and talks with us. She has such a heart for coaching at Pioneer and she makes it really fun for the players.”

“It’s always rewarding to see an athlete fulfill her dream,” Hoag said. “She was committed to her goal of playing in college from her sophomore year. It’s been great seeing her skills and leadership develop. She was always looking for a new thing to work on.”

Thanks to that dedication, Greenstone has four more years in Toledo to continue shaping her already high-level game.