Twin Tales, Part 2: Thomas Nelson's Osborne Twins

For as much as twins [player_tooltip player_id='533370' first='Tori' last='Osborne'] and [player_tooltip player_id='533368' first='Elle' last='Osborne'] have in common, they might have as many if not more differences.   Despite all that, they have one big goal in common. That's to help the Thomas Nelson Generals to the 5th Region Tournament for the first time since 2020. The Osbornes have been a big key to helping the Generals (17-13 overall) and first-year head coach Cassie Sizemore to the second seed in the 19th District Tournament going 5-3 in district seed play including a sweep of county rival Nelson County for the first two wins over the Cardinals since 2021.   The junior twins lead a number of statistical categories. [player_tooltip player_id='533370' first='Tori' last='Osborne'] plays outside hitter and defensive specialist for the Generals with [player_tooltip player_id='533368' first='Elle' last='Osborne'] (number 3) setting and giving opponents looks as a right side hitter. [player_tooltip player_id='533370' first='Tori' last='Osborne'] (4) leads the Generals in kills and aces with [player_tooltip player_id='533368' first='Elle' last='Osborne'] leading the team in assists.   Thomas Nelson travels to Nelson County (10-13) on Wednesday for the district semifinals at 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to the district championship on Thursday at 6 p.m. back at Nelson County.   The twins talked about their journeys growing up together playing volleyball among other things.   Growing up with Twin   Both: It's been great always having someone to walk in with, warm up with, strategize with.   Growth During Club Season at EVA   Tori: My out of system setting, serving and serve reception improved.   Elle: I grew more comfortable jump setting consistently, learned of IQ about the game and perfected the dump.   Adjusting to Coach Sizemore and Staff   Both: We're just continuing to be positive role models on the team, especially the underclassmen.    Next Steps for team   Both: We really need to focus on not making mistakes and being able to read the ball.    Pregame superstitions or rituals   Both: We have no superstitions and the only rituals are how they get ready (right knee pad then left) and stretches. We're always knocking on wood when discussing other players' injuries.   Life in the 19th District   Both: That makes us want to win so much more! We like to watch film as much as possible to prepare for the games.   On Ups and Downs of Volleyball   Both: It's about the next ball. You have to earn from the play and move on!   Solid Hitting and Defense   Tori: With hitting, you have to keep mixing up, and sometimes tipping when the set is a good decider because they're not expecting it. Defensive all starts with being able to read the ball, then adjusting feet movement and platform.   On Solid Setting   Elle: I have several new hitters this season so I've had to learn their preferences.    Note from Mom and Dad   The biggest joy has been watching them become leaders on and off the court in addition to forming friendships. Every season, they play with different girls, but immediately create a team bond which carries to the court and results in wins. They have passion for the sport and compassion for the team. - Mom and Dad (Jennifer and Terry Osborne)    Osborne has turned into a main offensive weapon for the Generals this fall. She's tough from her strong left side. Osborne can hit balls down the line or send a cutter shot to the other line. Osborne is not afraid to tip balls when openings occur and can even hit balls off blockers. Osborne lays out defensively making crucial saves. Osborne has team highs of 278 kills and 47 aces to go with 232 digs.     Osborne has turned into a solid, versatile player for the Generals. [player_tooltip player_id='774748' first='Hadley' last='Brooks'] has taken on some of the setting responsibilities allowing Osborne to contribute in different ways. She is tough from the right side because she can take back sets and place them a bunch of different places. Osborne still has good connections with her hitters, especially her twin sister. She does short sets or cross sets to keep defenses guessing. She is also not afraid to lay out on defense to make key saves. Osborne has 372 assists, 250 digs, 27 aces and 136 kills on the season for the Generals.

For as much as twins Tori Osborne Tori Osborne OH Thomas Nelson | 2026 State KY and Elle Osborne Elle Osborne 5'8" | S Thomas Nelson | 2026 State KY have in common, they might have as many if not more differences.