When the announcer exclaims, “Big kill by Holsinger!” this Saturday at the Hillsdale College volleyball match, it could mean two very different things. Either Hillsdale senior middle hitter Erin Holsinger has smacked one down for the Chargers, or she has been outplayed by her little sister.
Hillsdale’s dominant senior captain will play against her younger sister, Shannon — for the first time in either of their volleyball careers — when the Chargers host the Lake Erie Storm on Saturday afternoon. Shannon is a freshman right side hitter on the Storm’s roster this fall.
“It’s funny because if you close your eyes you wouldn’t be able to tell who is who from what the announcer says,” Erin said.
Even if the crowd keeps its eyes on the court, spectators might be hardpressed to tell these Roanoke-based sisters apart. Erin, a 5’11’’ blocking machine with an astounding vertical, resembles her six-foot sister in both appearance and in playing habits, she said. If it weren’t for Shannon’s red hair differing from Erin’s dirty blond locks, the two could be twins.
“We are a lot alike on the court, both physically and mentally, so I think you’ll see a lot of similarities during the game,” Shannon said. “For years, we have played with each other, so we have, in a way, learned each other’s tendencies as teammates. I’m still not quite sure how it will translate over to being rivals, but I am excited to find out.”
The sisters’ volleyball careers started when Erin tried out for a homeschool volleyball team. After the first day of tryouts, Erin returned home and begged 11-year-old Shannon to join her on day two.
“That night, when she got back, she wrote me this really long letter begging me to come the next day with her,” Shannon remembers. “I am so happy that I did, too, but without her constant nagging, I don’t think I would’ve ever given this sport much of a chance.”
Three years apart in age, Erin and Shannon never played on the same squad in high school. Then, Erin left home to start her collegiate career at Hillsdale, occasionally returning home to watch Shannon play outsider hitter for their high school team.
As Shannon’s graduation approached, Erin was dialed in on her sister’s recruiting process. When Kevin Foeman transitioned from an assistant coach at Hillsdale to the head coach at Lake Erie, Erin coaxed her sister into checking out the Storm program.
“I was really nervous about where she would go and what kind of team she would play for. I wanted her to have an experience just as great as mine,” Erin said. “I knew Kevin would be a perfect fit for her with how hard he expects his players to work. She had other options, but at the end of the day she knew what I was saying was right.”
Erin said she admires Shannon’s discipline and “stellar” back row abilities. Shannon said she has always looked up to Erin, and they’ve been able to bond over their love of volleyball.
“Erin’s always been the one that I trusted and relied on for a lot of things. As for now, I look up to her a lot, and she knows it,” Shannon said. “She is an amazing player, I mean winning GLIAC Blocker of the Year is not an easy thing to do, but more than that I am in constant awe of her leadership abilities.”
Finally, the Holsingers will have a chance to play on the same court. Though the sisters both don the number 18 on their backs, the front of the jerseys will differ significantly.
“It will definitely be hard to not want to cheer for her when she does something well, because for years I’ve been her biggest fan, and I still am,” Shannon said. “But at the same time, I’m really looking forward to putting into place all that she has taught me over the years.”
Erin said emotions will run high for the entire family.
“My family is coming up to watch us play, and they’re all divided on what color t-shirt they’re going to wear and what side they’re going to sit on,” Erin said. “She told me she already got permission to smack talk me through the net, so I told her I would just block her, and it was fine.”
