Rielly’s Share Competative Spirit

The Rielly’s after Wednesday evenings game. Left to right; Tom, Shawn, Katie and Mary

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Two sisters, one passion, opposing teams and a set of parents proud of them both.

What’s a dad to do? Encourage them both the best you can, and wear neutral clothing is a good start. Tom and Mary Rielly had the difficult and wonder experience of watching their daughters compete against each other, as Tom could be heard encouraging one then the other as the game took five sets to decide.

Katie Rielly plays for William Penn and sister Shawn plays for her fathers alma mater Loras College. The sisters have faced off before in the past, four to be exact, but Wednesday night was the last time it will happen, at least at a college level.

Tom remembers the times back when the ladies were younger and batting around the volleyball. “All the camps and club volleyball,” Rielly said remembering the steps that brought them to that night. “It’s just kind of fun to watch these two compete finally, and Kate got the final end shot.”

“It was really nerve wracking,” says Katie Rielly. Katie is a senior at William Penn. “I didn’t like it because it was the last time I was going to play her.”

If you ask the sisters who is ahead in wins, they will say, “We are.” Katie added that the last time they played, it was a split, “so this was the deciding game.”

Katie says she could hear Dad from the stands, “but never Mom. That was all throughout high school too.”

“It wasn’t fun losing to my older sister,” says Shawn.

Oskaloosa isn’t really home court for Shawn, but it is her home town, and she says it was a lot of fun.

I asked Shawn if she was trying to get her sister during the game, “I was, and I was trying but never succeeded.” She then quickly adds, “My teammates did for me though.”

Shawn agrees, she could also hear her Dad from the stands. Shawn agrees that it has to be very tough to be her parents watching the game.

“I’m terribly sad”, says Tom about the end of watching the two compete. “It’s kind of fun to watch your daughters go against it and play hard.”

Being upfront, Tom agrees he’s biased when it comes to his girls, “I really thought they both laid it all out there… they didn’t quit. They took it to five, then to watch Katie finish it off. That was a good way to end it.”

Looking forward, Tom says, “I’m sure there will be other sports we can start getting competitive with.”