Buckeye Twin Tales: Anthony Wayne's Pike Sisters

For this new series, we will be reaching out to twin sisters throughout the state picking their brains on how they prepare for games to their thoughts on deep tournament runs.   The first story starts with Anthony Wayne junior twins [player_tooltip player_id='227830' first='Mallory' last='Pike'] (left) and [player_tooltip player_id='403527' first='Leah' last='Pike'] (right). The junior 5-feet-11-inch twins helped lead the Generals to the state tournament for the first time in program history under the guidance of head coach Chrissy Graven, a former Bowling Green State University player, this past fall.   Anthony Wayne finished an impressive 25-2 going, including a spotless 14-0 mark in Northern Lakes League play to capture the second Buckeye Division crown in the second season of two divisions. They came a set away from the first state championship in program history going up 2-0 (25-23, 25-20) on Cincinnati St. Ursula in the Division II state title game. However, the Bulldogs won the next three to win the title.   The twins landed spots on the 1st Team All-League Buckeye Division squads. [player_tooltip player_id='403527' first='Leah' last='Pike'] won the NLL Buckeye Division Player of the Year honor and helped Graven win the NLL Buckeye Division Coach of the Year award.   They talked about the challenges of rising to the top of the state among other things going into their senior seasons. They are currently playing on the [program_tooltip program_id='430850' first='Toledo' last='Volleyball Club'] 17 Black team and have committed to play at Ball State University in college.   Funnest Part of helping Anthony Wayne rise to current level   Leah: The funnest part was definitely getting to enjoy the season and make school history with my teammates. We were so close on and off the court which made everything so enjoyable and fun. The team culture we had was just so great that the winning just followed due to our hard work and pushing and striving as a unit.   Mallory: For me, the funnest part of helping Anthony Wayne rise to the level it did last season was seeing all my teammates pushing each other to get better while enjoying the ride. Our team had a type of bond that I've never experienced before and it allowed us to play comfortably while pushing each other.   Lessons from Division II State championship game   Leah: I've deﬁnitely learned a lot from that game. I have two main takeaways looking back at that game. The ﬁrst is that we have to ﬁnish stronger. We knew our opponent wasn't just going to give up and roll over. We should've pushed harder in that third set. Secondly, we should've adjusted better. Coming out in the third set, Saint Ursula adjusted the lineup and we should've made some adjustments in the fourth set. When the fifth set came around, we tried to make adjustments, but it was just too late and we had trouble adapting to the change.   Mallory: Now that we have experience in that game, we know how it feels to have the momentum and to have it taken away from us. We learned a lot from that game and understand that consistency is key whether it's blocking, serving or setting; it's all significant and to focus on all we trained for while staying level-headed so we can successfully work together to succeed.   Growth as players, people playing for Graven and staff   Leah: I have grown as a player by being pushed to be a better leader. We did mental training before the season began to see when and how we work at our best and what communication we prefer. This taught me a lot about my team and allowed me to be a better teammate by knowing how to be a better communicator to the varying personalities. As a person, Coach Chrissy has shown me how you can be successful in many areas of life as she is a mother (she had a baby girl in August of last year, while already having three young boys), works a full-time job, and coaches our team.   Mallory: Coach Graven is a compassionate, empathetic and selfless coach that has taught us the importance of discipline and working hard on and off the court. The whole staff this year was truly amazing and pushed us players to keep reaching the next level and we still had fun! I think staying loose led us to success. For example, for our practice that fell on Halloween, we surprised our coaches and all dressed up in inflatable costumes. It was hilarious. Coach Chrissy and (assistant) Coach Rob (McAndrew) were literally hunched over laughing at how ridiculous we looked, but following the laughs we still got in a productive practice.   Going undefeated in Northern Lakes League play   Leah: We worked very hard in the summer with lifting at 7 a.m every morning with open gyms later in the day. Every time we were in the gym, we were all pushing each other to be better and to play at a higher level! I knew going into the season we had the skill to go undefeated in the NLL, but we all had to be on the same page. Before the season started, we had a team meeting to talk about our mindset and goals. One of our smaller goals we talked about during the meeting was to go undefeated in NLL play. From that meeting on out, we knew we had the skill to compete. We just needed to win it in our mind!   Mallory: We knew that this year was a growing year for most NLL teams, so we wanted to make sure we didn't play down to the opponents' level. We also stayed disciplined for each game and tried to play at a high level. We have many club teammates that play in the NLL so we knew how to compete against them since we know their tendencies. It's always fun when you get to play some of your club teammates/friends!   Areas of focus during club season   Leah: During club season, I have been working a lot on blocking. This past school season my blocking was not at the level I thought it should be, which made it extremely hard on our defense to get balls up.   Mallory: During this club season, I have been working on a faster approach so I can really get momentum and jump higher. My defense is something that I have always been working on, whether it's the split-step or just staying low and on my toes. I have deﬁnitely been working hard to improve and get more balls up and to the setter.   Choosing Ball State   Leah: When I was exploring colleges, I focused on three main factors: academics, team culture/coaching staff, and location. During my visit to Ball State, I immediately felt welcomed. The team atmosphere was inviting, honest, and down-to-earth which made me feel like I'd ﬁt right in. The coaches were knowledgeable, competitive and dedicated to the program while clearly developing their team for future success outside of volleyball. I wanted to play for a competitive volleyball conference like the MAC (Mid-American Conference) and wanted to play for a program with a winning tradition. Ball State checked all the boxes. It was an added bonus for my sister and I to attend the same college.   Mallory: When we went into the recruiting process I wasn't looking to go to the same college as Leah. Ball State became interested in both of us and once we were able to visit, we noticed how easy it was to talk to the team and coaches and get real feedback that made us feel like we ﬁt right in. The coaches and players have a very supportive atmosphere that felt like a family, which made us feel right at home. We both had the same thoughts after the visit, so we decided to commit together after all.   Controlling the net as a middle blocker   Leah: Controlling the net is a really big part of my position because I have to know what is going on on the other side of the net as well as my side. I think my experience of being a point guard for my high school basketball team (which also made the state ﬁnals this year) helps my vision on the court. This can be very difﬁcult to do at times, but with the help of my teammates, we get it done and I love the competitive challenge of it.   Being an outside hitter   Mallory: One big difference between playing outside hitter and middle is how we handle out-of-system plays. As an outside, I often have to adjust to balls coming in at all speeds, heights, and directions which requires creativity and adaptability to be able to put the ball away. Middles, on the other hand, are usually set up for quick, well-placed sets that allow them to attack efﬁciently. Both positions have their challenges, but the way we approach hitting is deﬁnitely different.   Note from Mom and Dad   We are most proud of the girls' humble approach to volleyball as a whole. They've been known as “silent assassins” by the local press and it's because they're unassuming and will push every limit to win. Their 2024 USA Volleyball National second place club ﬁnish and their 2024 state runner-up ﬁnish for high school show that. We've always told them, someone will always be bigger, stronger, faster, so just be the best version of yourself. They've been challenged and humbled by that and it's contributed to a team-ﬁrst perspective, which makes us the most proud.  – Mom and Dad (Jolynne and Gavin Pike)    Pike does a great job commanding the middle. She has a quick release and great command of where the balls go. Pike does a great job leaning away from blocks and hitting balls away from great defensive specialists. Pike sees the court and makes the necessary adjustments to put balls down. Pike is hard to block because of her athleticism. Pike is especially tough on slides. Pike had 29 kills in the Division II state championship game. Pike is also the point guard for Anthony Wayne's basketball team. She helped the Generals reach the state tournament for the first time in school history and finish state runner-up.     Pike brings a solid presence to the outside. She takes great approaches toward the net and puts a lot of power into balls with her solid form. Pike makes whatever adjustments are necessary to take hard swings when the team is out of system. Pike pounds balls to different parts of the court. She had 32 kills in the Division II state semifinal game against Avon.    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for one year and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. 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For this new series, we will be reaching out to twin sisters throughout the state picking their brains on how they prepare for games to their thoughts on deep tournament runs.