A few years ago, when Kara and Kristen Schutz were in middle school, their daily schedules pulled the inseparable twin sisters apart.
They didn’t care for it.
“They put us in different classes, and it felt like the world was ending,” Kristen Schutz said.
That gives an indication of the strong connection between the Andrean seniors, who are two of the veteran players back for the defending Class 2A state champion 59ers.
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They’ve always played the same sports, usually playing the same positions. They’re nearly impossible to tell apart, unless they’re wearing a jersey with different numbers. They’re always together, whether they’re at home, at school or on the volleyball court.
There’s no animosity, no simmering sibling rivalry between them.
“People are always comparing us, but we never compare each other,” Kristen Schutz said. “It’s kind of annoying that people are always asking us who’s better at this or that. We don’t think about it that way. We just cheer each other on.”
Very rare disagreements don’t last long.
“If we do fight, it’ll last about five seconds before we’re laughing about it,” Kara Schutz said. “Right as it gets serious, we start laughing.”
Their mother, Katie Schutz, confirmed the girls really do get along that well.
“They’ve never really fought,” she said.
When a mild conflict does occur, “Then it’s over like that,” she said, snapping her fingers.
The Schutz sisters’ relationship is the same on the volleyball court, where they’ve been competing for the same position for the past three years without any hostility.
Kara Schutz emerged as the team’s libero last season while Kristen Schutz settled in as a defensive specialist. There was a competition between the two for the libero spot, but no hard feelings lingered.
“We both wanted to play libero because they play twice as much as the other person,” Kristen Schutz said. “But I was happy for her.”
Kara Schutz led the 59ers with 356 digs last season. But that wasn’t a solo effort; the sisters always work in unison. If only one of them is on the court, she is the focus of the other’s attention, so they see each play from two perspectives. That helps them analyze the opposing team’s attack.
“I know it sounds kind of bad, but I’ll pay more attention to Kristen than anything else on the court,” Kara Schutz said. “After every play, I’ll be looking around for what I did wrong or what I could do better. It’s an extra set of eyes on the bench and on the court.”
Andrean coach Grant Bell said that additional viewpoint helps him too.
“They’ll watch what they’re doing and what the other one is doing, then give us analysis of what they’re seeing so we can all talk about it together,” Bell said. “It’s like having another defensive coach on the court.”
The sisters said they don’t intend to play volleyball in college. Kristen Schutz said she’s interested in a physician assistant program, and Kara Schutz said she’s leaning toward sports medicine or athletic training.
“Ideally, we want to go to the same school,” Kara Schutz said.
Kristen Schutz finished that thought: “And live together and go everywhere together.”
“Eventually, we’ll have to be independent,” Kara Schutz said.
But Kristen Schutz countered: “We’re going to be, like, next-door neighbors or something.”
Then, after a brief back-and-forth, they laughed.
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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