MAKING AN IMPACT: ARNOLD SISTERS' BOND ENERGIZING TRAPPER VOLLEYBALL

BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune

Stepping onto the court and making an instant impact while carrying on a family legacy has made for a whirlwind first month for the Arnold sisters at Northwest College, as Lexie, Rylee and Shilah have injected energy into the volleyball program while continuing their journey without the fourth piece of their puzzle.

Finding their way to Powell has been a journey in itself, as the three McCall, Idaho, natives joined the Trappers to continue their careers and carry on a tradition started by their mom, Maureen, who played for the program in the late 1990s.

"I actually have my mom's number," Rylee said. "She was No. 14 and I'm No. 14 this year. Our parents also met here, it's kind of crazy to think about."     

RECRUITED TO NORTHWEST
Getting recruited to Northwest for the Arnolds started under former coach Scott Keister, who initially approached Shilah to come play for the Trappers after their mom convinced them to attend a camp in Powell.

"We came to one of the camps because our mom found out somehow. Then she was like 'oh my gosh, I want to take you guys back to Powell, where I went and we could go to this camp,'" Shilah said. "So we came [to camp], and then he [Keister] ended up recruiting me as a libero to come here."

Shilah played as an outside hitter in high school along with Lexie, while Rylee played as a setter. Offers from NWC for Lexie and Rylee came soon after to join their sister as Trappers.    

ON THE COURT
Shilah has made the transition to libero, as new coach Nicole Buck has continued to play the oldest sister in that position.

Despite being shorter than the average college attacker, the trio has impressed early with their athleticism in the program. Lexie has already showed off her vertical as an outside hitter for the Trappers in their first scrimmages.

"I worked really hard this summer to try and get there and try to earn my spot to be an outside," Lexie said. "I really love playing outside and hitting. So for my height, I just had to work really hard this summer to try and improve that. It's definitely shown a little more, so hopefully, fingers crossed, it stays that way."

The trio already had an opportunity to all be on the court at the same time during a scrimmage against Miles Community College this fall, bringing their connection to the court early in the season.

"It was really comfortable for us. We can, I know it sounds really dumb, but we can kind of read each other's minds," Rylee said. "I can already know what she's (Shilah) going to do or what timing she's (Lexie) feeling without her even having to say anything. I feel like we all kind of feel the same way. But we can also snap at each other without taking it personally."

On the court, the sisters feel they have been encouraged to use that chemistry to their advantage and express their personalities while at Northwest after not having that same feeling in high school.

"I feel like we just have that bond that kind of brings a little bit to the team that most teams usually don't have," Lexie said. "I just feel like it's different from high school. They are very welcoming to that type of different chemistry."

The energy the trio brings to the Trappers cannot be understated, as Buck has said they have had an impact early on for the team.

"They bring a lot of fire to the program," Buck said. "They are three little spark plugs … On the first day, it became very clear that they were each other's biggest fans. They really push each other … They receive feedback really well and they use it to make each other better. It's really cool to see. When one of them finds success in anything, the other two are the loudest cheerers in the gym and it's just pretty cool."     

TRANSITION TO COLLEGE
While the trio have found themselves 11 hours away from home, the one driving force which has made the transition easier to Northwest has been the bond they have formed over the years.

"It's a lot better just having family here, especially because we're so far away from our actual family, it's nice to have someone here," Lexie said.

After being busy on the court over the first three weeks of the season, the sisters have started their courses at Northwest, which included a first time experience while they all head towards either nursing or a general medical field focus.

"Even in high school, we never had a class with all three of us, and so we had our biology class together (at Northwest)," Rylee said. "It was the funniest thing ever, because we got to sit next to each other. It's gonna be a fun class."    

FAMILY CONNECTION
Throughout their entire lives, the Arnolds have journeyed as a group, progressing through school with their brother Maddox while also adding two older siblings as well as a number of close cousins making a large impact on their family growing up.

The quadruplets all played sports throughout their careers at McCall-Donnelly High School, but the sisters were unable to convince Maddox to continue his journey at Northwest whether it be as an athlete or just to study.

Instead, he decided to head on a mission to Mexico starting in October for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"I mean we're definitely a lot closer than we are with him, but it's still really sad to think about," Lexie said.

"He's my best friend, he's our bestie," Rylee added.

All of the siblings have had a special bond not many get to experience since birth, with Shilah being the oldest, followed by Lexie, then Maddox and then Rylee.

While Shilah is the oldest, the sisters feel they all take on a leadership role at different times and bring different characteristics to the table that are needed to keep each other accountable while also supporting each other in the end.

"No one understands what it's like, unless you are a multiple. You don't know anybody else better in your entire life," Rylee said. "It's really weird. I have three other people keeping me accountable all the time, I'm keeping them accountable because I know them so well. I can hold them to a standard and they can hold me to a standard that it's hard for other people to do. We're extremely competitive, but we can fight for positions against each other, or fight and push each other really hard in practice. But then, you're so happy for them."    

GROWING AS INDIVIDUALS
While heading into the main part of their season, trying to balance a life of school and volleyball, the Arnolds feel they are making progress early in college, attempting to better themselves both on and off the court.

"I just want to be a better person, on and off the court," Shilah said. "Just finding a way to love everyone and just get better."

While the sisters know they will continue to bond throughout the rest of their lives, they agreed they want to create a special bond with their team, while branching out and having fun while at Northwest.

"In high school, we kind of felt left out by our team sometimes, and I don't want anybody on our team to feel that way ever," Rylee said. "So making sure to put in the effort to make sure everyone feels involved and included and loved … But also, we're very comfortable with each other, and sometimes we don't feel like we need to go and hang out with anybody else. But I think we can agree that we want to branch out and make new friends and have a good time in college."

Lexie added that they always want to do their best to continue the culture that has been implemented by this year's sophomores while doing the best they can as Trappers.

"With volleyball, there's this huge (stigma) of 'oh, they all have drama all day it's gonna be crazy, they're so mean to each other,'" Lexie said, adding this year's sophomores have built a culture of loving one another after it being tough last year.

"We want to do what's best for each other, and I think that's really important. I feel like that will help us get to be the best that we can on the court as well as off."