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Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Sister, Sister
Central Indiana, IN
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By: Kristen Fuhs Wells
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Photo(s) By: Jeff Solenberg
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Despite two years of age difference, Heritage Christian volleyball sisters Emily and Maddie Anderson make quite the pair on and off the court. And the Eagles will count on them in the state tournament to make a run at state finals.
Emily and Maddie Anderson are so much alike, it’s scary.
Sure, one’s a senior outside hitter, one’s a sophomore setter.
One’s blonde, one’s brunette.
But they’re also both jump servers, 5-foot-8 (“-ish,” they separately say) love food, shoes and listening to acoustic guitar music, and are incredibly spiritual.
Oh yeah, and they’re both two-sport student athletes for Heritage Christian with impressive hardware—Emily helped lead the basketball team to three state titles, and Maddie won her first title last year—excellent grades and stellar attitudes.
“They have the right perspective,” says coach Michelle York, who has known the girls for five years. “They’re competitive yet fun-loving, and they have a true passion for the game. They’re great friends, teammates and students.”
“We know when it’s time to work hard, and when it’s time to play,” Emily says. “We share the same sense of humor and work ethic, but basically we’re all about fun. We have a lot of laughs, and playing together has really made us closer.”
Playing in a 6-2 rotation, 16-year-old Maddie gets to set—or not set—her big sister. But there are no family feuds here—just greater trust and accountability, York says.
“We get really intense on the court,” says Emily, a senior, “and sometimes we say what we wouldn’t say to a teammate because we know each other so personally. But most of the time it’s good because we expect more from each other.”
“I know who she is as a person, and I know she’s just as competitive as I am,” Maddie says. “I trust her as a player, and she’s very encouraging.”
Working well together is key in volleyball—and is one of the reasons Maddie loves not only playing aside her sister, but her teammates as well.
“It’s such a team sport, and I love being around the girls,” she says. “You always have to communicate and have a lot of energy.”
Turns out, there are some differences in the girls, after all. When people used to tell Maddie that they were a lot alike, she’d respond ‘Really?’ But nowadays, she agrees with them—save for a few personality variations.
“I’m more free-spirited, I guess,” she says. “A little crazier. And I’m over the top focused on school. But we’re more alike than different.”
Case in point: They’re humble, too. Each struggles to come up with their career highlights and greatest skills, but they’re quick to point out that they want to become better leaders.
“I need to be a leader for the team,” Emily says. “So I need to step it up vocally and in my actions. I want my teammates to look at me and say ‘that’s how hard I want to play.’”
In fact, that’s exactly what Maddie did.
“Emily set the tone as being a really hard worker,” Maddie says. “I was just trying to live up to her standards. She’s so positive—much more so than I am—and she really taught me that a positive attitude goes a long way.”
That healthy approach (and athleticism) came from their parents Caryl and Bryan.
“They are really supportive parents,” Emily says. “One of them is at every match, and they always have good feedback and encouragement. Our entire family loves sports, including our younger brothers.”
Caryl is a former Speedway High School volleyball and basketball player, and their dad Bryan, played volleyball with his brothers from an early age. Bryan’s brothers currently coach club volleyball in Mishawaka.
Basically, says Emily, they’ve been playing volleyball since the day they were born.
In addition to their parents, coach York has been a spiritual mentor for the girls, says Maddie. “She’s always there, giving us advice on and off the court and encouraging us.”
Next year, they’ll go back to playing sports without the other sister to pass to, or set to. Emily accepted a basketball scholarship to Hillsdale College in Michigan, where she hopes to study elementary education.
Eventually, Maddie would like to play college sports and is interested in dermatology. But she has more work to do at Heritage Christian first.
“We’re losing a lot of seniors next year, and as a setter, I really need to be a better leader—I struggle at that,” Maddie says. “But I also want to glorify God, play to have fun, improve and keep my focus. As a team, I hope we don’t take our losses very hard and focus on what matters.”
As defending sectional champions, Heritage Christian hopes to defend its title and is banking on a re-match with Muncie Burris in the regional final—where they lost last year. But they’re not forgetting about Park Tudor—who they beat in the sectional final last year, but lost to earlier this year.
Heritage Christian was 9-2 on the year through Sept. 16, including a win against Bishop Chatard, which Maddie says was a “solid performance—the best we’ve played all year.” •
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