22/08/2014 14:00
Sisterhood of twins in Kristiansand
2014 CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championship
Kristiansand, Norway, August 22, 2014. As the adage goes, being blessed with twins means double the giggle and double the trouble. If the old aphorism is true, the 2014 CEV Under 18 Beach Volleyball European Championship being held this week in Kristiansand has been favored with plenty of amusement, as not one, but two sets of identical twins are taking part in the tournament.
Israel’s Kristina and Katrina Zilberman and Slovenia’s Spela and Polona Marusic constitute the perfect representation that when it comes to Beach Volleyball, having an identical twin as a teammate doubles the chances to success. The Seventeen-year old Israeli duo and 15-year old young Slovenians join the ranks of renowned Beach Volleyball twin stars like Canadians Nicole and Megan McNamara, Austria’s Nadine and Teresa Strauss, Finland’s Emilia and Erika Nyström or Italians Matteo and Paolo Ingrosso, to name only a few, as the successors of the tradition of the ideal of sisterhood blending over the sand.
“It just feels right”, said Spela Marusic; “From the very beginning we have been playing together, and you know your sister better than anyone else, so it made sense for us”, added the young Slovenian. At 15 years of age, the twin duo is one of the youngest teams of the tournament and they are trying to show their affinity in Kristiansand, while stating the fact that they would not understand the sport without the other half of the duo. “We always play as a team”, stated Spela, under the scrutiny and support of their parents who traveled to Kristiansand to support the twin sisters. “We started playing Beach Volleyball when we were nine years old”, commented Polona, “we tried football first, but changed to Volleyball because we really liked it”, she added.
The same circumstances are shared by the other twin duo of the tournament, who debuted in international competition last season in the 2013 CEV Under 22 Beach Volleyball European Championship celebrated in Varna. “Our mom played in the national team of Uzbekistan so we have always played Volleyball. One of the coaches saw us in school and asked us if we wanted to play for fun, and we did, and then we went to Beach Volleyball”, commented Katrina Zilberman. The sisters, who are also fluent in Russian, admitted that their relationship with the sport has permanently been linked to the other sibling, and both of them claimed simultaneously: “Always together!”. “We know each other and I can trust her more than anybody else”, stated Kristina.
Despite all the myths surrounding the benefits of playing with a twin sibling, rivals can rest assured that at least for the part of Slovenians Marusic/Marusic, the young players will not try to take advantage of their alikeness. Or so they say. “We only switch changes in the court, so the other team doesn’t know which one of us will serve”, joked Spela. “Of course we had!”, said on the other hand Katrina Zilberman when asked if they have tried to use the twin factor in their favor. “She (Kristina) plays on the left side and I play on the right, so sometimes we change our places and then change them again”, admitted Katrina.
The fact is that their indistinguishability can be confusing, even to those who are constantly around them. “I sometimes cannot figure out who I am talking to, so I just say my instructions aloud to both of them!”, commented the Slovenian coach. “Yes, that happens”, said Katrina Zilberman; ”The coach screams my sister’s name and then I turn around and I go “Yes, it’s me!”.
For the time being, both teams are not expected to cross paths over the sand in Kristiansand. Meanwhile, the two pair of identical twins will enjoy their experience in the tournament and will keep on demonstrating that the the two pairs of twin sisters bring fourfold the fun to the 2014 CEV Under 18 Beach Volleyball European Championship.
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