Reardon twins help fuel Thunderbird
Thunderbird High’s girl’s volleyball team is having of its best seasons in recent years and it’s thanks in large part to twin sisters who will go down as two of the best in program history.
Seniors Abby and Emma Reardon grew up on the volleyball court together and have played on the Titans’ varsity team (13-1) since their freshman year. Both have already set school records with three games still left in the regular season.
Abby broke Thunderbird’s record with her 1,178 digs while Emma currently has the most kills in program history (877). Both still are adding to those numbers.
“I think growing up being in the same sport, especially like a sibling and even just like a best friend, you constantly push each other,” Abby Reardon said.
“So at home, like if one of us is feeling lazy she’s like, ‘I’m gonna go work out.’ Then the other one’s like, ‘Gosh, I have to go now.’ [We are] constantly pushing each other to be better and just like driving each other.”
The Reardon twins plan to continue pushing each other to their fullest potential at the next level. Both are committed to play Division II volleyball at Westminster College in Utah.
“People who get along so well on the court, as twins who have played the exact same sport their entire life, it might be a different story,” head coach Carly Price said. “... It’s just humbling to be able to see the connection that they have.”
While twin telepathy has proven more myth than fact, it certainly seems like the Reardon sisters can read each others’ minds while on the court.
“Their chemistry is incredible,” Price said. “They move so well together ... They have similar movements. They know and anticipate where the other person would be more so than someone who’s not related to them.”
Price has coached the Reardon twins for the past four seasons. Over that time, Abby and Emma not only have improved
their volleyball skills, but they have become leaders. Both have been team captains since their junior year.
“[We] like to try and bring people out of their head,” Emma Reardon said. “You have to be like mentally strong. You can’t really let it tear you down or else it’s gonna tear everybody else down.”
“With off the court, we’re all best friends outside of it ... and all of us are really close that help. So if one of us is not mentally in check or something, then we would be like, ‘Hey, you all good,’ and help them out of that a little bit.”
After only two home matches to start the season, the Titans were dealt with early adversity that challenged everyone’s state of mind.
A severe rainstorm caused water to leak through the gym’s roof and onto half of the court. Concerns sover possible mold led school officials to remove portions of the floor where water was undernteath That side of the court could not be replaced immediately, however, because the water had not dried. For more than three weeks, Thunderbird practiced and played on other schools’ courts while waiting for its own court to dry.
Price said she was saddened for her
players, especially the seniors.
“They look forward to their senior night every year. They look forward to playing in their own gym,” Price said. “And so it really kind of devastated all of us, and it took a while to get over ... That was our first huge piece of them coming to terms with, ‘I’m probably never gonna play in this gym again.’”
After several weeks, the water had still not evaporated. To compromise, the school repositioned the volleyball net to the other side side of the court and barricaded the torn-up part of the floor after Thunderbird got approval from the district.
Along with being relieved to return home, Price said it was a good reminder for her team to not give up.
“It helped us knowing that, OK, we’ve already overcome something really big,” Price said. “We had some other little things that came up, and so we were just like, ‘Hey, this is part of life’ ... It’s a really good life lesson to teach these young ladies to be able to continue to push and fight and not back down.”
The Titans have also been able to apply this life lesson during games.
“... Even [against Shadow Mountain] we were struggling a little bit, but we were able to still get through it,” Emma Reardon said. “And I feel like that’s from this season. Like if that happened at the beginning of the season, we would not have been able to get out of it. But we’ve been through a lot of stuff that’s made us mentally stronger.”
After defeating the Matadors on the road, Thunderbird was scheduled to play its final home game against St. Mary’s High School (9-6) on senior night, Thursday Oct. 21. The regional matchup will be the last time the Reardon twins play together on their home court, as the team will finish with two road games.