LAFAYETTE — Katie Reilly Zimmerman hadn’t seen her little sister Stacey Reilly play volleyball in four long years.

The two sisters had played together on the same YMCA teams as kids and then later became stars at Concordia Lutheran High School in Houston. Katie, who is a little more than two years older than Stacey, would go off to play first at Wichita State, where she helped the Shockers to three conference titles  and then later play for the beach volleyball team at the University of South Carolina. Stacey went off to become a four-year starter at Louisiana-Lafayette.

The restraints of travel cost and time off prevented Katie from watching her sister in person, until a year ago this coming Monday. The Ragin’ Cajuns traveled to Boone, North Carolina, to play Appalachian State in a Sun Belt Conference game. Katie gladly drove the nearly 200 hundred miles north to watch her little sis in action.

“Unfortunately because i was playing in college I didn’t get to see her all that much,” Katie said. “But I finally got to see her play last year at App State. It was so cool. I couldn’t believe that it had been four years since I had to seen her play.” 

That night Katie got to congratulate her sister on the court following the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 3-1 victory but it proved not to be the last time the two siblings would share the court. This past spring, Katie accepted her first coaching job as an assistant on the Ragin’ Cajuns staff.

“I was actually encouraging her to take the job and apply for it,” Stacey said. “I was on the hiring committee for the team. I knew how great she was in college and what she could benefit the team. I had no hesitation. She might have been hesitant.” 

“My big concern was to make sure to recognize that this is her place,” Katie said. “In high school I was first the one through and everyone would always tell her ‘hey you are Katie’s sister’. Here this is her place. I didn’t want to come in and change anything she established. I wanted to make sure she was completely okay with it.” 

Stacey was okay with it and the two sisters have been part of the same team once again. Both have contributed to the Cajuns’ success this season — the team is currently 14-8 overall and 7-1 in Sun Belt Conference play and will host Appalachian State today in a Dig Pink Match and then Coastal Carolina in a Girl Scout Match on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm.

Not surprisingly, the two have a longstanding sibling rivalry that dates back to their childhood when they learned the game of volleyball from their parents. Mother Sherri played volleyball at Texas A&M and father Chris played on a club team at the school as well. Katie developed into a defensive player known for her blocking ability while Stacey developed into an outside hitter.

“My earliest memory of playing with my sister is when we would be on the same YMCA teams. When she started I always looked up to her and tried to do the same things she had done — but better of course,” laughed Stacey. “We would always be good natured with the rivalry. You know one of us would say that we were better at this part and that the other was better at another part but then we would finish by saying that we were the better player.”

“She definitely has more God given talent,” Katie said. “I was always older and I knew the game better at the time because of that but she always had more talent.” 

That’s not to say that the two sisters didn’t have heated exchanges as each one’s competitive nature would get the best of them and a coach or their parents would have to step in.

“We played together for two years in high school and sometimes we would just bump heads in practice,” Stacey said. “We would yell at each other and coach would calm us down. Then we would get home and our parents would just listen to what we had to say. Then they would give us our opinions. They would try to be mediator.” 

According to both sisters, the transition of older sister becoming a coach to younger sister has been fairly easy.

“The transition has been really fun and it has been a lot of learning,” Katie said. “Learning how to say things to the girls in a different way that they can relate to has been something I have enjoyed. And coaching Stacey has been great. Sometimes our conversations are player and coach conversations and other times there are sister to sister conversations. I will usually start our conversation by telling her that this is a coach player conversation and that seems to work really well for us.” 

“I get carried away sometimes with my frustration,” Stacey said. “I talk to her and I have to realize that she is my coach. Having her there, she knows me better than anyone. She knows my emotions a little more and kind of tailors an approach because of that. She continues to give me constructive criticism and ease any nerves and frustrations. It is great having her here.”

For older sis, one final opportunity to watch her little sis play the game they both have loved for so long is something she is grateful for. 

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me,” Katie said. “I was always so thankful when she came to see me play in college. Now I am thankful that I get to be here to watch her play.”