Valley Christian prides itself in having a special bond. You can start with the “setter sisters.”

Emma and Abigail Calicchio play alongside each other.

“This is a certain sense is a family because we love each other,” Abigail said. “We are always talking in the locker room and at school which helps our bond as a team.”

That chemistry changed in the Nike Tournament an when the Trojans (5-5) swept their opponents.

“I think they started to realize that they should just have fun and to give it their all,” coach Lindy Ramsland said.

The setter sisters set the tone.

Ramsland made some offensive changes to expand the ability of the sisters.

She moved Abby to outside hitter and then to middle blocker during the tournament.

“They both have very good control, athletic and brilliant people,” Ramsland said. "In the setting position, they are able to see who the weaker blockers are and the most effective side of the hitters. They both can do a little bit of everything for the team.”

The setter sisters are two of the most diverse players on the team.

The volleyball dream began in middle school when Abigail went to a camp before sixth grade. She did seven camps that summer because she fell in love with the sport.

When Emma joined the team as the libero.the connections started hitting.

Emma and Abigail created a play during middle school that would become a stable point in their careers.

“We came up with the sister play,” Emma said. “She is a pro-dumper and I would pass her really low passes and she would get the ball over the net every single time.”

As teammates since middle school, the sisters know their tendencies. They help each other correct their mistakes and learn from them.

The sisters can also compare certain tempos and sets that help better the team.

Emma has also connected on a couple kills with Abigail this season that has brought them and the team closer.

“When we are out there on the court, we are not just playing well for ourselves,” Abigail said. “We want to earn the point as a team. We want to succeed as a team. I think we understand that we can not win as individuals we have to accomplish everything as a team.”