Three sisters score top rank on South Jersey high school tennis team
BRIDGETON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- "You know, you have friends here and there, but when it comes to sisters, you're best friends no matter what happens," said Grace Albert. "You always love them."
Albert can't remember a time when her younger twin sisters, Isabella and Gabriella, weren't by her side. The 17-year-old junior at Cumberland Regional High School joined the tennis team during her freshman year and the twins soon followed.
"We eat breakfast with each other, we eat dinner with each other, we do everything together," said Albert. "So, carrying that on to the court gives a different sense of teammate and camaraderie that, like, you can't duplicate that."
The sisters have a unique dynamic that allows them to encourage, correct, and embolden one another during practices and tournaments. But every once in a while, they are pitted against one another.
"In tennis, how it works is, you have challenge matches," said Head Coach Devon Land. "So, the sisters have to actually all beat each other in order to earn those one, two and three spots."
This year, the sisters scored their singles rankings in the order they were born. Gabriella is seated at third singles while Isabella, just one hour older, scored second. Grace Albert, also a captain, is ranked first.
"I feel, like, an extra confidence and extra boost because I know they're right by my side," said Gabriella Albert. "Like, I have my partners in crime right next to me."
The girls are currently looking forward to a finals match for South Jersey Group 2 in just a few days. Their team's current record is 10-3 and in Tri-County, they are 7-0.
However, Coach Land said it's not all about the score.
"They are better kids than they are players, so that's what it's all about for me," he said.
Once all the sisters graduate, the potential to play at a college level will present itself. But no matter what happens, they are confident that they'll play tennis together as they grow old.
"I'm just so thankful that they're in my life," said Isabella Albert. "And like, I love them so much and I'm so happy to be with them."
To learn more about athletics at Cumberland Regional High School, visit their website.
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