ESPN RISE

Rachel Williams is dangerous.

Talk to her coaches and teammates and they'll tell you that the Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) senior is a great athlete, an emerging defensive player and a leader on the court. But what's the common thread in everyone's scouting report?

Williams can hit a volleyball really, really hard.

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ESPN RISE Magazine

Rachel Williams makes no bones about her role for Archbishop Mitty: "My job is to get kills for my team."

"Man, she can put it away," Archbishop Mitty coach Bret Almazan-Cezar says. "It's just a gift. She can kill it."

Opponents attempt to block her at their peril, and it seems like everyone has a story about a devastating Williams spike that careened off someone's face and into the stands.

"She's a really powerful presence as a hitter," senior teammate Kristina Graven says. "She's a terminator."

Behind Williams' hitting prowess last fall, Mitty went 42-1, won the Division II state championship and finished No. 1 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50. The 6-foot outside hitter racked up 473 kills on the season, but numbers alone don't tell the story of how she dominates a match.

"There's an intimidation factor," Williams says. "The other team may have heard about you beforehand, but when you go in there and slam a few down right away, you can see how it changes their whole mentality."

And her gasp-inducing spike facials?

"I feel bad," she says. "I've had it happen to me before and it's not fun, but what can you do? It's part of the game, and I'm just trying to hit it as hard as I can. My job is to get kills for my team."

That's pretty much been her job description since Williams started playing volleyball in the second grade. She was taller than her peers even then, and her mom and friends all urged her to give the sport a chance.

Williams was shaky at first. The nuances of the game were difficult to pick up, and she almost quit to go back to soccer after the first year. But hitting was just too much fun.

"That was my favorite part of the game already," Williams says. "I was good at it, so I decided to stick with it."

The first time Almazan-Cezar saw Williams play, he was coaching a club team that she tried out for as an eighth-grader. Her game was still raw, but the veteran coach liked the potential.

"She definitely had more athletic ability than any of the kids she was playing against," Almazan-Cezar says. "We moved her to left side to take advantage of her athleticism. She could run and jump and hit it hard. Her arm swing wasn't perfect, but she could put it down."

The other team may have heard about you beforehand, but when you go in there and slam a few down right away, you can see how it changes their whole mentality.

-- Rachel Williams

When Williams entered high school a year later, she couldn't have walked into a better situation. Archbishop Mitty boasts one of the nation's premier volleyball programs, so Williams had time to grow into her role while the surrounding talent carried the load.

For Williams' first two years on the squad, Amanda Gil was the featured attraction. Gil had helped Mitty to a state title as a freshman in 2004 and was named Player of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle three years running before moving on to UCLA. Gil's presence as a junior and senior gave Williams a chance to polish her skills and become a more complete player in her first two years of high school.

"Rachel started as a freshman, but having Amanda be the main star helped her development," Almazan-Cezar says. "While Rachel was a cog, she wasn't the main cog."

During her first two years, Williams was able to play to her strengths. Almazan-Cezar used her on the front line and let her swing away, but he hid her defensively. Williams barely served or played the back row as a freshman or sophomore.

But when Gil graduated, Williams was ready to take over as the team's centerpiece.

Williams progressed to the point where she could stay on the court through every rotation. Her all-around improvement allowed her to make an impact in all facets of the game, even when she wasn't slamming the ball down.

"I realized what it took to win," Williams says. "I worked on the rest of my game and got good enough that I could fit in with our lineup and stay out there all the time. Hitting is my favorite, but now I love playing defense, too."

Her newfound versatility was on full display in the state championship match last year. In addition to her usual 13 spectacular kills, Williams also racked up 12 digs in a 3-0 victory over Redlands East Valley to earn MVP honors.

As far as Williams is concerned, that was just the beginning. Mitty is steeped in volleyball tradition  the school has won seven state titles, and Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh is an alum  and leading the team to another banner would cement Williams' legacy as one of the program's all-time greats.

"I'd have to say that Rachel is definitely the best outside hitter to come out of Mitty," Almazan-Cezar says.

Williams has signed with Stanford and lists winning an NCAA championship as one of her goals. She also wants to play volleyball as long as possible.

"Whether it's with Team USA, overseas, on the beach tour, whatever," Williams says. "It's definitely going to be a big part of my future. I love it so much."

Almazan-Cezar sees big things ahead for Williams.

"Whenever she's on the court, she always wants to be the best player," he says. "That's a challenge she takes upon herself. I think she'll continue to work and get even better. If the timing is right, I could see her playing for Team USA and going to the Olympics."

As for her senior year at Mitty, Williams has been working on further diversifying her offensive repertoire. In addition to sheer power kills, she wants to develop more finesse by aiming for lines more often and throwing in a tip shot once in a while.

Her opponents should be excited -- at least the tips won't hurt as much as her kills.

Mike Grimala covers high school sports for ESPN RISE Magazine.