Kentucky Sisterhood Tales: Reckers sisters at NCC

It can be quite the adventure playing alongside a sister in volleyball.   This past season saw not just two sisters play alongside each other, but three at tradition-rich Newport Central Catholic. The 5-10 versatile [player_tooltip player_id='128205' first='Kori' last='Reckers'] entered her senior year as a three-year starter at setter/outside hitter. Her sisters Paytin, a 5-6 sophomore and Jordyn, a 5-4 freshman, stepped in as defensive specialists. Paytin and [player_tooltip player_id='484445' first='Jordyn' last='Reckers'] took their lumps early on adjusting to the varsity level, but turned into sound players as the season rolled along.   At NewCath, it is not uncommon for players to follow in the footsteps of their parents. Their parents Angie and Eric graduated from NewCath in 1993 and 1991 respectively and Kori is about to graduate one year after their older brother Brady did. Kori is continuing her volleyball career at West Virginia State, an NCAA Division II school located in Moundsville, West Virginia.   Angie Reckers had an outstanding volleyball career for NewCath leading the Thoroughreds to state quarterfinal appearances in 1991 and 1992 as a setter. The sisters, though, are focused on making their marks on the program, which won 9 of 10 games to conclude the regular season and finish 17-20, winning that many games in a season for the first time since 2017.   This article goes into more depth about their experience.   Playing with sisters in 2023   Kori: This past season was not only the best season for NCC's volleyball record for quite some years but also the most enjoyable and memorable for me. Playing with both my sisters was the best thing I've ever been able to do in my life. Going through ups and downs with my two best friends was an experience I will always remember. Having them on the team this year allowed them to push me to be a better player more than previous seasons but I was also there for them helping them navigate through the difficulties of being younger classmen on varsity with bigger roles. Looking back at it now that the season has been over for almost 8 months, I wish I could get one more game with them because it is the most fun volleyball I have ever played. They were there for me through some difficulties I had with injuries toward the end of the season and I wouldn't have been able to get through them without my sisters.   Paytin: Playing with my sisters this past season is definitely one of my favorite memories. I loved how no matter what was happening I always had both of them by my side. We always worked together and never gave up on each other.   Jordyn: Playing with my sisters was one of my favorite things. We got a lot closer and could even help each other out after bad games at home. Yes at times it could be a lot and we wouldn't be the nicest to each other but I'm so glad we were able to even if it was just one season.   Making own mark at NCC   Kori: I have always had to prove myself more and work harder than any other kid being a six-rotation player since my freshman year with my mom being the coach. I knew my mom was one heck of a volleyball player but she cared more about what we were doing in our careers to compare it to hers. My mom always pushed me to be the best teammate, player and overall person I could be. She is the reason I was able to get the 1,000 assists and digs achievements because she was constantly pushing me.    Paytin: Every team makeup is different from high school teams to club teams and even from one season to the next so it's very important to focus on developing your skills so that you have the ability to contribute to each team's success. I take a lot of pride in being a good teammate and adapting to the need of each team I play on that is what I focus on and to me that is very important to being a part of the team.    Jordyn: Even though my mom is my biggest role model and the one I look up to the most being able to be someone else and not just her shadow is something I work on every practice and game. She is a great woman who showed me a lot on how to play the game and how to make smart decisions will help me get through anything I need to in order to be the best version of myself.   Pre-game Rituals and Superstitions   Kori: I've almost always had hair ties wrapped around my shoes. One game I was wearing them on my wrist and the ref told me to take them off so I just put them on my shoes and I had a really good game that night so they have just been on their ever since. I have taken them off.   Paytin: One pre-game ritual we do before the game is saying a prayer.   Jordyn: I don't have any personal pre game rituals but as a team we always pray before each game and it puts us in a great state of mind so we can play how we want.    Solving Disagreements   Kori: At NCC we have always been a family and never really had issues, we all knew everyone had different perspectives of the game so we really just learned to listen to each other. I seriously couldn't have asked for a different group of girls to play with and it was just amazing to know we always had each other's backs no matter what.    Paytin: The key to solving disagreements as a team is to always talk it out and say exactly how you are feeling and keep focus on team goals and how to work together to achieve those goals.   Jordyn: I believe that the biggest key to solving disagreements is just being open and understanding in the communication area, making sure you listen to both sides of the disagreement and being able to accommodate with anything.   Winning 9 of 10 to conclude regular season   Kori: The beginning of the season was a little bit of a struggle. We had a really young but talented group. I think it took some people time to trust the younger girls, and you can easily see that. As the season went on we all bonded and learned how important trusting your teammates was. Every game got better and better and then our 9 out of 10 games wins, we couldn't be stopped. We ended the season on a really high note and even now out of season, we are still all really close even with the younger players.    Paytin: Our practices started to improve and same with our communication. We really started to work together and became a great a team.   Jordyn: We really started to have fun and not play worried which ultimately led to better games.   Solid All-Around Play   Kori: I have been a 6 rotation player since freshman year but I did not start hitting till my sophomore year. I was strictly a setter my freshman year and every year leading up to that in the club level as well. Hitting was fairly new to me and it took quite some time to figure out how to be good at it. During my 17's year of club volleyball, due to an injury of one of my teammates I was given the chance to play all the way around including front row attacking, and that lead me to go up against some stronger and bigger defenses than some you see in high school, and that lead me to end my high school season with nearly 700 kills. Mostly to me it was more about placement of the ball and not speed. I'm not the biggest front row player and I knew that, so instead of power swings, I aimed more for placement learning to be able to see the other side of the court as I was jumping to see where their defense wasn't.   Advice on Adjusting to Varsity Level   Kori: Varsity is hard, especially volleyball being a sport that is fairly looked down upon. Being on varsity my freshman year, I had two amazing seniors that really helped me through, Kylie Kohrs and Madison McCloskey. They made sure I felt included and made sure I knew how important my role was in the team. So I knew my senior year that I wanted to be that type of senior to the underclassmen, two of them being my sisters. Volleyball is not an easy sport and having the pressure of being a freshman or sophomore on varsity does not make it any easier. At away tournaments we would always hangout and invite the younger classmen and make sure they were included into the conversations, whether at a hotel room, out at dinner, or even in the huddles during games. I liked to make sure they knew that their opinions always matter and they would always be heard.    Solid Defensive Specialist Play   Paytin: One big key of being a defensive specialist is the mindset. Whenever I play, I use the mindset of “no balls touch the ground.” That mindset really helps me go after the ball even if it's the most simplest touch.   Jordyn: One of the biggest keys to being a DS would be to not be scared of anything and to have the confidence that your going to get every ball and try for everything no matter what the outcome is.   Improvements during Club Season   Paytin: Throughout my club season I have been focusing on consistent and aggressive serving as well as my serve receive.   Jordyn: I have really been focusing on serve recieve over the past seasons and will continues to work on that the most as well as defense and serving.   Next steps for NCC   Paytin: Some keys are to always believe in one another and work together as team. It's also really important for everybody to try their best in practice, games, and tournaments.   Jordyn: Being ready for anything that happens and to have fun would be the main keys I think as we always have better games when we have fun.   A Note from Mom and Dad   In volleyball, watching them grow and improve year after year has been very exciting.  Their skills and knowledge of the game continue to improve each season. They appreciate and respect the sport, officials, teammates, and coaches.  They may disagree with a coach or teammate, but you will never see their attitude, hustle and style of play change.  They constantly give 100 percent and are great teammates. We are very proud of how they handle challenges and support their teammates. Kori has done an amazing job leading by example. She has always been consistent and reliable on the court. Paytin has always been the type of player that is willing to do whatever her team needs and has earned a nickname in our family, “THUG”, The Hype Up Girl. She truly cares about her teammates and sisters more than herself. Jordyn brings lots of emotion and energy. She is the most competitive in our family and plays to win no matter what sport she is playing. She loves to compete! They really balance each other out well and the bond between the 3 of them on and off the court is truly amazing! I honestly believe all the time they spent together in the gym and playing sports together since they were young is what has led to this. They chose to hang out with each other and many times they have laughed so hard they cry or can't breathe. They offer to help each other with schoolwork or driving to the store for something they need. They borrow each other's things, and it never causes an issue. Even when they were competing against each other for positions in high school, the respect and support for each other was always there.  They have a very special bond and I think volleyball has helped solidify that! It's one way to see that sports are so much more than just winning and losing games. - Mom and Dad (Angie and Eric Reckers)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/05/ReckersSisters2.jpg?w=773" alt="" class="wp-image-540033" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Reckers sisters, Newport Central Catholic</figcaption></figure>

It can be quite the adventure playing alongside a sister in volleyball.