Photo: Quinn and Hassie Clare Thurman, Northpoint Christian volleyball seniors. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
You could call them the “Twin Towers” of Northpoint Christian School volleyball.
On a team with a lot of talent and a team that has seen the summit of TSSAA Division II-A volleyball and knows how to get there, no one has impacted the growth of the Lady Trojan program more than the Thurman twins, Quinn and Hassie Clare.
In the four years since their arrival as freshmen to the campus at 7400 Getwell Road, coach Kim Robinson says the Thurmans have completely rewritten the Northpoint record book. With Hassie Clare as libero and Quinn primarily as a front row hitter, Northpoint ranks right there among other D2-A powers, Goodpasture Christian, Middle Tennessee Christian, Battle Ground Academy and Silverdale, all elite powers at the net in the Volunteer State.
The success for Northpoint this fall remains due to the family feeling around the team and the energy they gain from each other’s play.
“We’re already so bonded and so, so close,” Quinn said. “We’re all like sisters anyway and so it gives that little extra boost of family.”
For Hassie Clare, being with a twin sister on a competitive volleyball team allows each other to support and to also challenge each other.
“There are times that we fight a little bit, but honestly it’s good fighting,” Hassie Clare said. “It’s encouraging and a good push. We definitely hold each other accountable.”
It’s been since sixth grade when the Thurmans were at Sacred Heart School when they started playing volleyball. They continued in the game on their arrival at Northpoint and fans immediately noticed how much they complimented each other on the floor.
“We practice, we practice together,” Hassie Clare said. “I know exactly where she (Quinn) wants the ball and how close, whereas with other hitters, they prefer different sets and stuff.”
Quinn and Hassie Clare Thurman of Northpoint Christian School volleyball. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
That knowledge, as well as court vision and communication, are what is required in the libero position that Hassie Clare holds, always wearing a different color jersey than the others on the team.
“My job is to make sure the coverage is there,” Hassie Calre said. “I talk to my hitters and I tell them where to hit the ball. I tell them ‘no blocks’ so they can swing away and I tell them spots and I tell them to tip over. I just talk to them because I can see the court best.”
Quinn calls volleyball a game with a flowing system that means she can find where the opens are and where to kill or tip the ball over the net.
“It all depends on where the pass is or where the set is,” Quinn said. “I then determine where I’m going to hit and where the block is up. The back row helps a lot because they tell me where to hit.”
Northpoint has been in the TSSAA Division II-A state tournament three previous times but has failed to win on the state stage, losing to host Middle Tennessee Christian in four and eventual state runner up St. George’s of Collierville in five sets last fall. Quinn and Hassie Clare believe they have a team that can return to the tournament and make a dent in that 0-6 record at state.
“Last year was super intimidating, I won’t lie,” Quinn said. “We took the best of what we had and we will definitely use that as an advantage. I think that’s really going to help us if we make it back.”
“We got knocked out by St. George’s last year,” Hassie Clare added. “And they basically lost their top six, so we have a better chance and anything can happen.”
