While playing volleyball at Cary-Grove, Erin and Amber Olson didn’t get the opportunity to be on the same team. 

This fall, the sisters are making up for lost time at the University of Central Florida.

Erin, a junior, and Amber, a freshman, are the top two setters for the Knights, who have won nine matches in a row and are off to a 3-0 start in American Athletic Conference play.

“We run the court together as one person, but we’re just on at separate times,” Erin said. “When I come off, she’s coming on. When she goes off, I’m coming on. It’s so much fun because you know exactly who’s coming in for you.

“I know she’s going to keep the same energy out on the court that I have.”

The Knights lead the conference in set assists a game at 13.44 and rank 15th in the nation, thanks to Erin (6.41 a game) and Amber (5.41). The sisters also have helped UCF’s hitters achieve the second-best hitting percentage in the AAC (.256).

In the team’s signature win this season, a 3-1 victory Sept. 1 against then-No. 7 Southern California, the duo combined for 58 assists.

To Amber, her sister’s best assets are running the offense well and being in control of the court.

“She uses her players’ abilities to their best,” Amber said. “I look at her as a great defensive player because that’s where I struggle. I try to watch her and mimic that.”

Although only in her first college season, Amber has earned plenty of respect from her older sister.

“She’s super competitive and is so willing to learn,” Erin said. “She’s done a great job absorbing all the knowledge.”

When Amber committed to UCF, her sister was starting her career at Bradley University in Peoria. After one season, Erin decided to move on.

“She asked me, ‘What if I end up going to UCF with you?’ ” Amber recalled. “I said, ‘I’ll be supportive of whatever decision you make.’ ”

When she arrived in Orlando, Erin found a group of driven teammates that finished 20-14 a year ago and played two matches in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.

“All of the coaches welcomed me right away, and my teammates were so welcoming,” she said. “They all said, ‘Let’s get down to business. We’re going to do big things.’ ”

Harvard grad joins Clarke Hall of Fame: NAIA Clarke University will induct Harvard graduate Ashley Shields into its Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend on campus in Dubuque, Iowa.

Shields, a middle hitter who graduated in 2011, is the school’s all-time leader in kills (1,727), points (2,190), attack attempts (4,564) and service attempts (1,949). Her 27 kills in a match still stands as a record.

She earned first-team All-Midwest Collegiate Conference honors three times in her career and was the female recipient of Clarke’s Ed Colbert Career Achievement Award in 2011.

Shields lives in Phoenix, where she works as a family nurse practitioner.

Ohio Wesleyan winners: D-III Ohio Wesleyan University’s women’s volleyball team has received big contributions from two local players this season.

Freshman outside hitter Paige Hale (McHenry West) has a team-high 3.17 kills a set for OWU (8-9).

Sophomore defensive specialist Meghan Schwallie (Marian Central) has the team’s highest digs average at 3.17 a set.

Wesleyan has won three matches in a row and is 2-1 to start the North Coast Athletic Conference schedule.

Klein on target: D-III Carthage quarterback Colton Klein (McHenry East) threw his first career touchdown pass and ran for another last weekend in his team’s 63-7 victory against Elmhurst.

In a relief role, Klein was 4-for-8 passing for 69 yards and ran the ball six times for 32 yards. The win pushed Carthage (2-2) to 2-1 in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Coaching at Robert Morris: Former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wide receiver Collin Nolen (Harvard) is in his second season coaching the position at NAIA Robert Morris University in Chicago.

He was a member of Whitewater’s 2013 NCAA Division III national championship team, then served as a student assistant coach from 2014 through 2016.

• Barry Bottino writes a weekly column about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at barryoncampus@hotmail.com and follow @BarryOnCampus on Twitter.

https://www.nwherald.com/2018/10/05/on-campus-olson-sisters-from-cary-grove-set-up-ucf-for-success/a591whc/