Mound-Westonka volleyball records go Mack-to-Mack

Last fall, Mound-Westonka senior Callie Mack watched as her twin sister, Brenna, was recognized during the middle of a volleyball match for breaking a school record for career kills.

"I was so proud of her," said Callie, a setter for the White Hawks. "I was hoping one day that would happen for me."

It did last week, when coach Katie O'Gara put the team's first first match in the Mound-Westonka Tournament on hold to announce that Callie had set a school career record for assists, which now number 2,056.

"It was such a surprise when she did it," Callie said. "I didn't have any idea I had that many assists. It was so great that I got to experience what my sister experienced."

Staff writer Jim Paulsen talked with Mack about volleyball past, present and future.

Q How did you start playing volleyball?

A When I was 11, we went to Jamaica on a vacation. They were playing volleyball on the beach at our hotel and my sister and I wanted to get involved. We fell in love with it.

A Brenna and I want to make the most out of this season. I feel like this is the year we can go to state.

Q Is that realistic?

A Yes, I think so. Every year I go to the Xcel Energy Center to watch the [state] tournament. I want more than anything to play in it.

Q How much does it help having your twin sister on the team?

A It's awesome. I think we play better together than apart. We have a different sort of chemistry on the court. I love it when I get the set and she gets the kill. Going Mack-to-Mack is pretty cool. We're going to play together in college, too, at the University of Akron.

A I had never heard of it, but they called and asked to have us on a visit. We went there and just fell in love with the coaching staff. They welcomed us in and said they would take both of us. It was like a family.

Q Will you be able to play the same positions as you do now?

A No. We're both recruited to be liberos. So we'll probably be competing with each other. But we're used to it. We both play libero for our club team.

Q But you play different positions in high school?

A Yes. I think that's one reason why I like playing high school so much. I get to set and my sister gets to hit. And I can rotate to the front row and get a chance to work on hitting and blocking, things I don't get to do that much. It's probably why I never get burnt out playing volleyball.

A Brenna and I are both pretty short for volleyball. We're about 5-7. So we're doing a jumping workout every night to make sure our verticals are where they need to be.

Q Has it helped?

A I think it's helping. It's a 12-week program and we're in Week 5. I haven't measured since we started, but I feel improvement.

Q What would you change about volleyball if you could?