Lineup is easy to prepare if you can spell �??Schinski�??

NANTICOKE �?? She stepped onto the court, nervous and unsure of what to expect. Then again, that would seem to be a common occurrence from a freshman in her first varsity match.

That�??s when Nanticoke�??s Kassie Schinski took a quick glance around the court and saw big sisters Kayley and Kendell.

�??It�??s pretty exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time,�?� Kassie said. �??I don�??t want to mess up on the court because I don�??t want to let my teammates and sisters down. They are great to me. They tell me to just do my best and that�??s good enough.�?�

It�??s something that you don�??t see too often.

Sure, you see two sisters on the same team �?? and even on the court -- at the same time. A set of twins may come up through the system every now and then, too.

But at Nanticoke, you have the Schinski girls. All on the court at the same time. All aligned on the same row during certain moments.

Kayley is a senior, and a three-sport standout who is looking to major in nursing when she attends college. She has applied to such institutions like Bloomsburg, Misericordia and Luzerne County Community College.

Kendell is a junior who loves the sport of volleyball, and hopes to play in college.

Kassie is the youngest, just a freshman, who expects to make a difference on the basketball court as well. In her first season, she has 31 kills, nine blocks, three assists, four digs, 13 aces and 79 service points.

Now, add to it that all three girls are starters on the varsity volleyball team, which enters the District 2 Class 2A playoffs as the No. 2 seed behind undefeated Holy Redeemer.

�??It�??s something we�??ve always talked about,�?� said Kayley, who has 140 kills and 133 service points this season. �??I�??m glad that we got the opportunity to play together for one season. It was such a great experience, especially in my senior year.�?�

Deb Krupinski admits she didn�??t know how to handle it.

�??I had sisters and we were extremely competitive,�?� the Nanticoke head coach said. �??And yes, at times, we did fight. But I don�??t see it with these girls. They don�??t fight at all. For me, it was a change because I�??ve never had three sisters together like this. I didn�??t know how it would work out, and you wonder about it. At practice, I pulled them on the side and said I was going to look at each one as an individual and see how each one would fit into our scheme.�?�

Just watch the girls on the court for one second, and all the questions are answered.

The smiles never leave their faces. If one sister is down, the other two run over to slap her on the back.

�??I love them. We don�??t fight,�?� said Kendell, who has 63 kills and 172 service points. �??We are so close, and we do a lot of stuff together. Our family is close. And we work so well together on the court. We are always there to keep each other up.�?�

Krupinski says each one is different in her own way.

�??Kayley is outgoing, a great leader and a role model for her sisters,�?� the head coach said. �??She is very mature and easy to get along with. Kendell is very coachable and has a great understanding of the game. Kassie is so quiet and shy, but she has so much ability. And what sets her apart is she�??s the lefty of the group.�?�

Sports are always the talk around the Schinski house. That, and the possibility of a district title.

�??We sit down and talk about what we did, and what we could do better,�?� Kayley said. �??With playoffs starting, we talk about how amazing it would be to win a title. It�??s going to be tough because there are a lot of good teams in the district, and Holy Redeemer is undefeated.�?�

All three sisters know the volleyball season is dwindling down. It�??s one game at a time, all must-win contests. There are no more regular-season contests left.

And that means time together on the court is almost done.

�??I�??m so glad that I had this opportunity. I�??m going to miss playing with Kayley next year,�?� Kassie said. �??We are all really close, and hang out all the time. It was a big help to play on the same court with both of them. Hopefully, we�??ll be able to win a district title together.�?�