Will Horan is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Chandler Prep for AZPreps365.

The Unruh sisters have spent their lives playing volleyball and watching each other turn into top level players in the Phoenix area.

Ashlyn, a senior, has watched younger sister Abbie grow into a player who is going to be just as talented as she is. Abbie, a sophomore, has watched her older sister dominate at the net since she was young. Growing up the sisters never played on the same team.

Since Abbie got to Chandler Prep last year, their relationship added a new layer from not just siblings, but to teammates as well. 

When Anthony Jones took over the Chandler Prep girls volleyball team, Ashlyn and Abbie were still in middle school. Older sister Ellie, who now plays at The Masters University, was on Jones’ first team at Chandler Prep. 

“They have that quiet demeanor, super hard working, and are really good leaders,” Jones said about the Unruh sisters. “It’s like Ellie passed down what she learned to Ashlyn and Ashlyn is doing the same right now for Abbie.”

“It’s nice having my sister on the court with me,” Abbie said. "If I’m not playing well, it’s nice having that comfort and encouragement from her, as a teammate and sister.” 

“Sometimes after a hard practice or tough game the drive home is a little bit better because we both have someone to talk to about it,” Ashlyn said.

Even with the kind words, there is still a small rivalry between the sisters that Jones can attest to.

“They are both huge competitors, they always want to one up each other even if they don’t notice,” Jones said. “When Ashlyn is having a good game it always seems like Abbie is trying to match it. And there’s no way Ashlyn, as the big sister, will ever want to have a worse game than her little sister.” 

Clearly, the on-court sibling rivalry is good for the Titans. Ashlyn holds the top hitting percentage in the 2A South region, while Abbie is in the Top 10. They combined for 391 kills this season, 210 from Ashlyn and 181 for Abbie. Ashlyn added 37 blocks as a middle hitter, while Abbie had 80 serving aces as an outside hitter. 

“We do different things better than one another, neither of us will say one of us is better, though,” Abbie said. 

Their competitiveness can only be seen on the floor. Off the court they have the exact relationship you would think. They look out for one another, care for each other and motivate each other to be the best player each can be. 

The Unruh sisters have enjoyed their last regular season together and hope they finish it off with a state title. Next season, Ashlyn will be at college and Abbie will take what she has learned from her sister and hope to continue the success Chandler Prep has had over Ashlyn’s four years here.