If a quartet of Sterling volleyball players was asked to write an essay about what they did over the summer, the theme would be very similar.

Sophomore Lexi Rodriguez and the Borum sisters – senior Josi and sophomores Brooklyn and Bree – all finished off their summer club volleyball seasons by playing for titles at the AAU National Championships in Orlando, Fla.

“It’s really hard to believe, when you think about it,” Sterling coach Dale Dykeman said. “Four kids from the same high school team competing for national championships – and if you throw in Gretchen and Grace Gould winning an ASA national championship in softball – it was a really successful summer for our players.”

“It’s crazy to think we were all down there at the same time,” Bree Borum added. “We’ve all put in so much work, and it’s just great that we can all do it together.

Rodriguez and Brooklyn Borum won the national championship for the second straight summer, while Bree Borum won a title for the first time. The Borums were named MVPs of their 15-year-old divisions – Brooklyn played in the top “Open” division and Bree the second-tier “Premier” division – while Rodriguez joined Brooklyn as an All-American selection in the “Open” level. Both of those teams play out of Sports Performance in Aurora.

Josi Borum’s 17-year-old “Premier” team took second in their bracket, losing only three sets in the entire tournament – and none until championship bracket play started. Josi plays for Fusion out of Batavia.

It was the second time around for Rodriguez and Brooklyn Borum, who were teammates last year in a title run; Rodriguez had also watched older sister Kaylee Martin accomplish the feat when the former Sterling standout and current Illinois State sophomore was in club volleyball.

Still, that didn’t make it any less special.

“It was the greatest feeling ever. It wasn’t better really, it was just different,” Rodriguez said. “This first time, we weren’t really expected to get there and then we won it all, and we felt like ‘Oh my gosh, we actually did this!’ The second time, the drive was harder because we wanted to get there again, and then when we did, it was almost more of an accomplishment because doing it twice was harder.”

“We had a few new girls that I think really helped us out,” Brooklyn Borum added. “This year, it was different because we’d already been in that situation, so I think it was less pressure – and we knew we came down there to win.”

It was a memorable couple of minutes for the Borum family on June 20. With Brooklyn and Bree playing at the same time on different courts, parents Bill and Tami were on pins and needles for both of their daughters.

But things worked out as well as possible. Brooklyn and Rodriguez got done with their championship victory in time to sprint over to the court where Bree’s team was playing and watch it finish off their title-match win.

“When we won, [Bree’s team] was at 24 [points], so right after we won, I booked it over to her court and made it just in time to watch them win it,” Brooklyn said. “For her to feel that feeling too, that just made my heart really happy. And then for both of us to get MVP … it was pretty amazing that we could share that.”

“Everybody was cheering, so we went over there and gave her a hug,” Rodriguez added. “It was just the coolest moment for all of us to be able to do it at pretty much the same time.”

For her part, Bree was excited to be playing at the AAU tournament rather than just watching, as she had the year before when Brooklyn and Lexi won their first crown.

“It meant a lot to me to be down there as a player this year, too,” Bree said. “It was very cool knowing that I could do what Brooklyn and Lexi had done. I knew no matter what happened, once we got to that title game it was a great honor whether we won or lost.”

Josi, whose team played over the 4 days following her younger sisters’ victories, would’ve loved to add her own title to the household take, but said even just playing for the championship made all of the hour-and-a-half drives 3 days a week throughout the summer worth it.

“It could’ve been one more [title], but we’re happy with the success,” said the future Chicago State player. “Honestly, I was more excited than they were when they won; I was way more excited for them – and I think they were just as excited for me as for themselves.”

It makes the four of them hungrier to repeat that success for their school. With Rodriguez, Brooklyn and Bree all starting as freshmen last year, the Golden Warriors lost to eventual sectional champion Limestone in the 3A Galesburg Sectional semifinal.

And even though that came after the program’s fifth straight regional title, it still left the young Warriors wanting more – like maybe the third sectional title in the last 5 years.

“It definitely makes us want to do it in high school, too,” Rodriguez said. “In high school, you’re actually wearing ‘Sterling’ across your jersey, instead of just saying you’re from Sterling when you’re in club. That would definitely be a cool experience.”

“We’re really happy to be back, and now we get to go out and play and try to win with people we see everyday, people we’ve grown up with,” Bree Borum added. “Here is where we’re like a family, and it definitely makes us want to have that same success.”

There’s no reason why Sterling shouldn’t be shooting for the stars: Illinois Prep Volleyball, a website that covers the sport in this state, has the Warriors ranked No. 4 in its preseason poll that covers all classes – and the three teams ranked ahead of them (Chicago Marist, Mother McAuley and Lisle Benet) are all 4A squads.

“Being the No. 1-ranked 3A team in their rankings, it’s humbling,” Dykeman said. “It also sets a standard that we all have to work toward. For everybody in this gym, there’s expectations that we have to live up to, and we’re striving to do that every day. The big thing is that these kids don’t look at it as pressure, they look at it as a challenge, they use it as fuel, and they want to end the season at No. 1; it’s more about that than starting the year there.”

With club volleyball ending fairly close to when high school season picks up, Dykeman feels like the team doesn’t really see much drop-off from one year to the next, and are able to come into the preseason and be on top of things from Day 1 of practice.

His national champs agree.

“Now, we’re excited to bring in what we learned from club season and take it on the high school court,” Brooklyn Borum said. “The more we grow individually and as a team, the better skills and attitudes we come back to the next season with.”