Josie Neukomm and her younger sisters, Kendyl and Jadie, spent their younger days in the crowd at Cissna Park athletic events, with their cousin Lyndsey’s teams earning back-to-back trips to the IHSA Class 1A State Finals in 2014 and 2015 perhaps the most fond of those memories.

“We were just looking back at the camera roll, and we had a picture with Lyndsey when I was about 8 and she was in a yellow libero jersey,” Josie said. “It was awesome to see her accomplish making state and to still go (back and) read about it today. Knowing her team got runner up with coach (Josh) Landon, we got to grow up with extraordinary cousins, to get to go to their games and have them give us tips.”

Like their cousin, Josie and Kendyl are now both multi-time state finalists. Josie, a senior, has been a part of the team’s core for their third straight trip to state this weekend, at first as a middle hitter and now on the outside. Kendyl, a sophomore, stepped right in as the starting libero as a freshman.

As the Timberwolves eye the program’s first state championship in their fifth state appearance this weekend, the Neukomms have played a vital role. Josie’s 292 kills are second on the team, and she’s also tallied 210 digs, 36 aces and 27 blocks. Her dig total is second only to Kendyl, who has 248, as well as 79 assists and 26 aces.

“They are driven internally,” Landon said. “There’s nothing that we have ever said to them about wanting to get in the gym to do additional work. They took it upon themselves at an early age to jump on the club scene. Josie is probably the most dedicated athlete at our school in terms of being dedicated in the weight room.”

With the Neukomm surname, athletic success has become a generational norm in Cissna Park. The middle two children of Brent and Kelly, along with older brother Karston and younger sister Jadie, a freshman Timberwolves volleyball player, their household is one of several Neukomm households in the Cissna Park community.

Brent has 15 siblings, leaving a countless amount of cousins and other families. The sisters estimated with a laugh that between their paternal and maternal sides, and direct relation and marriage relation, they’re probably related to close to half of the town of about 800 people.

“We’ll look in the crowd and half of them will be our family, extended or immediate,” Josie said. “It’s amazing to see them show up for us. For Lyndsey to have played and come back, now it’s nice to see her watch us after we came to watch her.”

Their cousin, Dierks, was just named an IHSFCA Illinois 8-Man Football Association All-State selection as the quarterback at Milford/Cissna Park and has eyes on a basketball all-state selection as a scoring star in the Cissna Park backcourt. While some may feel pressure of keeping up with the family name, Josie said that not only do her and Kendyl feel none of that, but they help each other stay composed on the court.

“I wouldn’t say there’s that much pressure,” Josie said. “We’re really going out there to have fun. People ask us why we don’t get mad if something happens, but we have that connection where if I shank it or if Kendyl shanks one we’ll laugh it off, shake it off and go to the next play.”

Neither the sisters nor their teammates have shanked much of anything this year, as the Timberwolves enter state with a 38-1 record with 33 two-set sweeps, including all six of their postseason games. After going from watching her sister make state two years ago to being alongside her for the last two, Kendyl said she’s gotten to experience the best of both worlds.

“It was such a surreal moment going from watching in the stands to playing on the court,” Kendyl said. “I love that I got to experience it both ways because you remember those great memories.”

How their last season of volleyball together winds up going this weekend is yet to be determined. But what is certain is that Josie hasn’t gotten to have multiple state experiences with teammates that are like sisters, but with her actual sister. And she can’t wait to see what the future has in store for both Kendyl and Jadie.

“(Kendyl) has grown as a person and player,” Josie said. “Seeing her in the hallway makes me smile, same with Jadie. They’ve both grown up so much from glasses and braces. They’re my little sisters and I see them accomplish big things, whether that’s 15 digs for Kendyl or 15 assists for Jadie. It’s really incredible. I can’t put into words how proud I am of Kendyl.”