ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- Paige and Brooke Andries played together all the time in the backyard growing up.
 
But, aside from one season of varsity basketball at Marshall (Minnesota) High School, the sisters haven't really had the chance to be teammates.
 
They're getting that opportunity this fall on the volleyball team at the College of Saint Benedict, where Paige Andries is a senior middle blocker and Brooke is a first-year rightside hitter.
 
"It's really cool having her here," said Paige, who has 36 blocks (0.63/set) and 86 kills (1.51/set) for the Bennies, who are 4-0 in MIAC play and 11-4 overall heading into a conference match against Bethel (1-2, 4-10) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Claire Lynch Hall.
 
"It feels like two worlds connecting in a way," said Paige. "For the past three years, I've made all these relationships with my teammates. Now she's making those same relationships, too. My friends are now her friends. We've been able to combine family with that team chemistry."
 
The Andries come from an athletic family. Their brother, Blaise, was a standout offensive lineman at the University of Minnesota and went to training camp with the NFL's Miami Dolphins in 2022.
 
Their father, Joe, a 1984 Saint John's University graduate, was a three-sport high school athlete. Their mother, Helen, who graduated from St. Cloud State, was a three-sport prep standout as well. And, the oldest brother, Brent, also attended SJU, graduating in 2019.
 
"We were always active growing up," said Brooke, who has already made an impact at CSB with 30 blocks (0.51/set) and 121 kills (2.05/set) this season. "We had a basketball court in the backyard. We had batting cages. I can remember hitting softballs all the time, or my dad tossing a softball to us. On summer afternoons, Paige and I would always be out there peppering with a volleyball or shooting hoops."
 
But, because Paige was three years older, they weren't often on the same team at the same time.
 
"When I was a senior, she was a freshman and we were both on the varsity basketball team together," Paige said. "But in volleyball, she was on the B-squad when I was a senior. We practiced against each other. But we never really had the chance to be teammates."
 
Until, that is, Brooke decided to follow in her older sister's footsteps and enroll at CSB.
 
"We came and visited her last fall," Brooke recalls. "At the time, I was still on the fence about where I wanted to go. But when we visited, I really started liking the campus and I saw how much of a tight-knit community it is here. Saint Ben's felt like home, especially knowing Paige was already here," she said.
 
"I still had to decide if I wanted to continue playing volleyball," Brooke added. "But once I did, I couldn't think of anyplace better to do that than with her."

 
CSB coach Nicole Hess said both sisters have had a big role in the team's success this season.
 
"They're both having really good years," said Hess, who has now coached four sets of sisters since taking over as head coach at CSB prior to the 2010 season. "They actually play next to each other, and sometimes things will happen where you really see the sister relationship show through -- which makes (assistant coach) Amanda (Anderson) and I smile."
 
"They expect the best of each other and they push each other to be their best. But they are also each other's biggest fans," Hess said.
 
Brooke helped lead Marshall to back-to-back Class 3A state championships as a junior and senior and was an academic all-state pick in basketball in 2022 and 2023 and volleyball in 2023. At CSB, she plans to major in exercise and health science with an eye toward a future career as a physical therapist.
 
"When I had shoulder issues the past couple of years, I had to see a physical therapist," Brooke said. "And I saw how they were able to help different people. I think it would be great to do that, especially having the chance to work with athletes."
 
Paige, meanwhile, was part of state tournament teams at Marshall in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Tigers earned state runner-up honors during her junior season, when she earned all-tournament honors. She was an all-state pick as a senior, the same year she was named the high school's female athlete of the year.
 
At CSB, she is majoring in biology with minors in psychology and chemistry. She's earned academic All-MIAC honors and was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team as a junior last season. Paige, who has 227 kills and 62 blocks in her career, is planning to take a year after graduating next May to prepare to apply to graduate schools for genetic counseling.
 
"I've known that I wanted to go into genetic counseling since I was in high school," she said. "It's a pretty specific career path. But it's such a great combination of educating, science and being there for people. It was those three aspects that really drew me toward it."
 
First, though, she has a final season of volleyball to complete with her younger sister by her side.
 
"This season has already been special because I've had the chance to play with Brooke," she said.
 
"I just want to see our team keep growing and getting better. We're taking it one practice at a time and one game at a time. But if we do that, we have a good chance at winning the MIAC and hopefully making it to the NCAA (Division III) tournament," said Paige. "That would be a great way to end my career."
 
Brooke wants the same thing, especially for her sister.
 
"I'm just so glad I get to be part of her story," Brooke said. "This is her last hurrah and I want to do whatever I can to help make it a good season and a good experience for both of us."