THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Oct. 29, 2014

When Rocky Mountain College volleyball coach Laurie Kelly came to North Idaho College a few years ago for a camp, she had heard of a local setter through her club VIP volleyball team.

Since then, that relationship that has grown to help the NAIA school in Billings, Mont., reach heights they'd never seen before.

ON THAT visit, Kelly met Tori Bertsch, a 5-foot-11 setter at Post Falls High.

"My last setter (Kristin Barott) was from that same club team," Kelly said. "So I thought, a 5-11 left-handed setter that is very smart ... hmm, done. She is everything I hoped for and more. And she is just a junior."

Kelly is the mother of former NIC volleyball coach Kandice (Kelly) Gregorak, who is now an assistant at Montana.

Rocky Mountain claimed the No. 1 spot in the Tachikara-NAIA volleyball coaches poll for the first time in school history on Sept. 9.

The Bears, now 22-2, haven't given it up since, spending the last seven weeks at the top of the poll.

"It's just amazing," said Bertsch, currently a junior, of being No. 1. "It's still shocking to have been part of a team that's been so fortunate. It's really been a great time. It's been kind of a whirlwind and kind of amazing that we're still No. 1."

Rocky finished 14-18 in Bertsch's first year and 25-9 last year, winning the Frontier Conference championship and finishing the season ranked 18th in the nation.

"Just seeing it all develop from my freshman year to now, it's a dramatic change," Bertsch said. "It's just surprising to see how far we've come."

In three years at Rocky, Bertsch has 2,310 assists (7.73 per game), with 748 digs and 134 kills. This season, she's already reached a career high in kills (64).

"It's definitely a lot faster pace, and all the players are a little smarter at the college level," Bertsch said.

"It's just a completely different game. The speed and height of players, as well as the strength, it's definitely up."

"Tori has grown in many areas," said Kelly, in her seventh season as Rocky Mountain coach. "The college game is fast and she had to also learn to jump set. She is totally amazing this year on both."

Her approach on the court also has high praise from Kelly.

"Tori is a silent leader," Kelly said. "She isn't loud or too demanding. She plays with confidence and players around her feel her confidence. She is very smart on the court and in school. She is a All-American academic scholar with a GPA of 3.5 or above. She is the best setter in the conference and I would put her up against the best in the nation. She is a lefty, which gives her an advantage on the setter dump. I would say she is our best server and holds her own on blocking."

AT ROCKY, Bertsch has also had the chance to play with former NIC standout Yang Yang, who is No. 1 in the nation in blocks per game with 1.54 and fourth in kills per game at 4.78.

"It's been great playing with her," said Bertsch of Yang. "Especially with her playing some of the people I've know from club ball."

"She had to learn to set the fastest middle in the nation with Yang Yang," Kelly said. "They are like salt and pepper together."

Rocky Mountain (22-2, 11-0 Frontier Conference) visits Lewis-Clark State (14-7, 8-2) on Thursday night in Lewiston.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what the end result is," Bertsch said. "I'm very excited to see where we're at at the end of the season and what we've accomplished. It's still very flattering that I'm on a team that's No. 1. It's very, very humbling."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.