2016 ALL-AREA VOLLEYBALL: Gainey displays her own personality

Rocky Mount High’s Michelle Gainey is the 2016 Telegram All-Area Volleyball Player of the year.

The Gainey family didn’t have much of a choice.

As teachers and basketball coaches at Rocky Mount High School, afternoon and evening babysitting options were not ideal for a family with two small children.

So it became a regular occurrence every late fall and winter that M.J. Gainey and his little sister, Michelle, were junior members of their parents’ teams.

“I could lay a blanket down for Michelle on the gym floor, and she’d fall asleep right there,” said Pam Gainey, the school’s girls’ basketball coach for more than the past two decades.

It would make sense given that bit of information, that Michelle Gainey, now a senior at the school, would have turned out to become a player who lives and breathes bouncing or playing ball of some kind.

That would not accurately describe Michelle, who despite growing up immersed in Gryphons athletics, has really just started coming into her own as an athlete.

The Telegram’s 2016 All-Area Volleyball Player of the Year is not the always-outgoing person that her father is, nor is she the more reserved, yet intense personality her mother displays as a coach.

Michelle is her own person.

“I’m not like either of them,” Michelle said. “I’m more laid back and quiet. I take my time. I do what I can. When it happens, it happens.”

Despite attending years of practices and games, when it came time to pick a sport, Michelle chose cheerleading – or so she tried.

The Gaineys allowed Michelle to be a part of a step team, but in the process, gave her basketball training on the side so that she would be prepared if the urge to play developed.

Volleyball was first, and as a seventh-grader, she began embracing the sport.

“It was more fun, and there wasn’t as much running,” Michelle said.

Now, Michelle is part volleyball and basketball player. Her 233 kills this season were an area-high as she helped lead the Gryphons to a second-place finish in the Big East.

She was versatile and willing to play wherever needed, as she showed an ability to be an above-average setter and hitter during the past two seasons for the Gryphons.

“My goal was just to help the team have a decent season,” Michelle said. “It wasn’t for myself.”

With that said, she stepped a little more out of her comfort zone this season by trying to embrace her leadership role. The program’s best player the past two seasons – Natalya Cannie – had graduated, and the Gryphons needed a new voice.

Michelle has understood schemes and strategies like a coach’s daughter, but leading others was something new and still is developing.

Pam Gainey said she would like to see her daughter speak up some more during basketball season, and perhaps volleyball season has been the first step.

It’s not easy for a player who hasn’t had a sports-first mentality.

“Michelle is a different young lady,” Mike Gainey said. “She enjoys sports, but that’s not her first thing in life. There is no stress on her.”

Michelle aspires to be a neo-natal nurse, and said she could see herself coaching in some form in the future.

As much as Michelle might resemble a younger version of her mother, she is different, but she will leave Rocky Mount High School next spring having absorbed a love for the place that helped raise her.

“It’s a family, I love it,” Michelle said. “That’s who I am.”

ALL-AREA VOLLEYBALL TEAM

Michelle Gainey, Sr., Rocky Mount High: Gainey finished with area-highs in kills (233) and digs (219) in helping the Gryphons earn a 3-A state playoffs berth.

Asia Jones, Sr., Rocky Mount High: Jones was on the basis of the attack for the Gryphons, completing her final season with an area-high 304 assists. She also had 159 digs and 80 kills.

Ashlee Brackett, Jr. Northern Nash: Brackett a solid all-around game with 90 kills, 65 blocks, 29 digs and 41 aces.

Keyanna Spivey, Sr., Rocky Mount High: Spivey had 85 kills and 28 blocks in her final season.

Ashley Hatfield, Sr., Rocky Mount High: Hatfield finished with 158 kills, 123 digs and 50 aces for the Gryphons, who finished in a tie for second place in the Big East Conference.

Honorable Mention

Robbi Allen, Jr. Nash Central; Tiffany Chandler, So., Rocky Mount Academy; Starr Clarke, Sr., Southern Nash; Abigail Cowart, Jr., Southern Nash; Lauren Fassnacht, Jr.,Southern Nash; Carisha Leonard, Jr., Nash Central; J.D. Mattocks, Sr., Rocky Mount High; Jenna Mckenney, So. Northern Nash; Anna Reese Vick, Sr., Rocky Mount High; Ashley Wollett, Sr., Northern Nash

By Jessie Nunery
Sports Editor for Rocky Mount Telegram

Tuesday, December 20, 2016