Volleyball: Borum twins are two of a kind for Warriors

Breelyn and Brooklyn Borum have spent their entire lives together – it just comes with being twins. But in a few months, that’s going to change as they go their separate ways on their college volleyball journeys, Bree at Florida-Gulf Coast and Brook at Virginia.

But the two Sterling standouts have one more thing to share as they get ready to live apart for the first time in their lives: the Borums are this year’s Sauk Valley Media Volleyball Players of the Year.

While their senior season wasn’t what either expected – after winning Class 3A state championships in their sophomore and junior seasons, there was no chance for a three-peat thanks to COVID-19 – both made the most of the time they did spend on the court for the Golden Warriors.

“It was still special,” Brook said. “We all wanted to get out here and still play our last year. We knew there wasn’t going to be state, which hurt a lot, especially our senior year, but just getting an opportunity to play on the court again – after not knowing if we were going to have that – still means a lot to us.”

Brook led the area with 236 kills, and Bree’s 247 assists made her Sterling’s all-time leader in that category. Bree added 208 kills, led the team with 165 digs, and served 17 aces. Brook finished with 133 digs, 13 blocks and 15 aces.

“I think we were definitely sad about not having a state championship, because we all knew it was possible for us to win it again and we would have had a good chance to get it done,” Bree said. “But I think we were all just happy to be able to play one last season with our friends, Brook and I play one last season together. Not having it wouldn’t have fulfilled high school for any of us.”

For the first time in their careers, the Borums knew exactly when their season would end. No thrilling run to a state championship, no potential postseason upset losses to end things sooner than they would’ve wanted.

While it was a less-than-ideal way for two of the Golden Warriors’ most decorated athletes ever, it did give them a chance to enjoy things they might have not focused on in their quest to add a third 3A state trophy – especially the chance to soak up every moment of their last few matches playing with their friends.

But it also has given them time to think a little bit about the legacy they’re leaving behind.

For Bree, it’s about setting an example for those to come.

“Just younger kids looking up to play, that hard work pays off, and if you really want to be good, you can be,” she said. “Just put in the work and effort. And being good at multiple sports, playing with your friends, all of it’s possible, you just have to be willing to do anything it takes.”

For Brook, it was the way they played the game and represented their school and hometown.

“Integrity and pride,” she said. “Going out on that court every game, we had pride in who we were and in Sterling volleyball. I hope we leave that behind to all the underclassmen, and I hope they take as much pride in it as we did and play every game like it’s their last, because you never know when it might be.”

Both have been playing the game so long, it’s second nature to analyze other players’ games. And they’ve played together so much, it’s easy for them to break down the other’s strengths.

“Bree brought a lot to the court and the team,” Brook said. “She was always a spitfire on the court, always all over the place going for every ball. She brought a lot of aggressiveness and leadership to our team – and she broke the assist record as a setter, which is pretty amazing for her to do.”

“Brook is a dynamic six-round player; she can pretty much play any position,” Bree said. “She could probably be a setter if she really wanted to. She’s very competitive and drives herself hard, and makes everyone want to be better. She’s pushed me for the past I don’t know how many years to be the best setter I can.”

Both agree that the qualities the other possesses will make them valuable right from the start at their respective college programs.

Sterling coach Dale Dykeman has no doubt about that for either of them.

“Obviously both of them are physically gifted, some special kids,” he said. “Both have exemplified the process – and the work that goes into that process – to get the results and carry on the tradition we have here at Sterling. God-given ability is definitely a big help, but it’s all the hard work they put in to achieve what they’ve accomplished that stands out to me.

“They go over to the middle school and they’re recognized; kids want to be Brook Borum, they want to be Bree Borum, to emulate them – and to do that, they know they have to work. So I think more than just the winning, they’ve left the culture of success and the process of what it takes to get to that state championship-caliber level and sustain it.”

While both are Division I talents, it’s the team accomplishments that mean the most to the twins. The Golden Warriors were 133-11 in their 4 years in varsity, and 113-5 with all the regular starters together – and they lost only one match at Musgrove Fieldhouse, against Pleasant Valley (Iowa) last season when they weren’t at full strength. Sterling was also 16-1 in the three postseasons the twins played in, and all but one of those wins came in two sets, including the 2018 supersectional victory on its home floor that secured the program’s first trip to state.

Still, the individual numbers are impressive as well. Brook finished with 1,521 kills, 840 digs, 129 blocks, 143 aces and 58 assists. Bree had the school-record 2,091 assists, 788 kills, 810 digs, 124 blocks and 130 aces.

But Dykeman was impressed by their impact beyond the stats as well.

“Brook brings a little bit of an edge to the game,” he said. “She plays with a chip on her shoulder, and she has to at times because she’s taking such a volume that she has to terminate, terminate, terminate – and that’s infectious. When she takes a big swing and bets that one big kill, that becomes infectious. When she draws attention and the other kids know they have to step up.

“Bree, being a setter, had to be communicating with everybody, both offensively and defensively. She really took to the floor general role, kind of kept everybody where they were supposed to be. That naturally flows through the setter, and she stepped up and became a real leader the last couple of years.”

Bree was also respected around the Western Big 6 Conference. She was named the 2021 Don Morris Award winner Friday afternoon, voted on by the conference’s athletic directors. Each school nominates one boy and one girl for the award, named in honor of a former Alleman athletic director who was one of the founding fathers of the Western Big 6 and awarded each year to one boy and one girl who excel in multiple sports, school and community activities.

“It’s pretty special, and it means a lot,” Bree said. “I know how prestigious that award is, and it’s definitely a huge honor.”

Now, the two sisters are starting to look ahead into the future. Neither are sure what it will be like next year without having the other one right there next to them, but both are eager for the next challenge as college student-athletes.

“I haven’t fully wrapped my mind around it. I’m kind of scared; Brooklyn’s the more people person out of the two of us, so when we take on a new challenge together, it’s always her who goes out and makes the most friends and I just kind of join in,” Bree said. “So since she does most of the people work, next year meeting all new people is going to be difficult, because she won’t be there to help me. Or just in any hard times, my best friend is going to be 13 hours away, so it’s going to be super hard. I definitely think we’ll be able to talk every day, Facetime, Zoom, whatever it takes. Maybe make some trips, see each other at hopefully the NCAA Tournament at some point; maybe we’ll play each other, just being able to see each other will make it special.”

“Next year, it’s going to be kind of hard,” Brook agreed, “but I think we’re both going to have each other’s backs from distance, and we’re still going to find the chance to be proud of each other and our accomplishments from afar.”