Homewood-Flossmoor volleyball senior Na’imah and sophomore Cherron Calhoun started talking about this volleyball season a while ago.

The sisters didn’t grow up playing together. They didn’t really grow up playing at all. Na’imah donned her first set of knee pads as a freshman, Cherron as a seventh grader. But they’ve never been on the same team.

“We talked about it a lot,” Cherron said. “Before I even came to H-F, we talked about it.”

They’re finally in the same uniform and it’s paying off for H-F. Through 14 games, the pair combined for 89 kills and 90 digs. Na’imah had 175 assists and Cherron is averaging two kills per set. 

“I just love watching her play. It’s so exciting,” Na’imah said. “I just want to help her out. It’s really fun seeing her and passing to her.” 

Vikings coaches deliberately rearranged the lineup so that Na’imah is setting to Cherron more often. 

“They really push each other,” Nesbit said. “That connection is just there. They have that intuitive sense of each other.” 

They laughed when asked about that connection. While they’re usually friendly and not competitive at home, that sixth sense doesn’t extend to life outside the court. 

“I think it’s just a volleyball thing,” Cherron said. “It’s just part of our bond.” 

They say they never get upset with each other on the court or, really, at home. 

“We just play with each other all the time. We’ve always peppered with each other, gave each other drills and stuff,” Na’imah said. “I watch a lot of her games. She watches a lot of mine. We’ve very supportive of each other.” 

Older sister Na’imah worked her way up to the varsity squad as a junior. She went through the freshman and junior varsity ranks, as would be expected for a player new to the game. 

“She’s always been somebody who has had to work really hard to be where she is,” Nesbit said. 

Cherron had little interest in volleyball, at first. She wanted to play basketball. Eventually she realized, with the encouragement of her older sister, that she could do well in volleyball.

“Cherron is that younger sister. She’s always had that ‘I’m going to show you I can’ attitude,” Nesbit said. “It’s done her wonders.” 

It’s done wonders for H-F, too. 

The Calhouns are a key part of a Vikings squad that has big aims this fall. But they said they’re aware that their time playing together is limited, so they’re trying to savor it.

“We’ve accepted it. We know what’s going to happen. We only get one season together,” Na’imah said. “We’re just going to make that season the best we can make it.”