Aiden Blanc is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Arizona Lutheran for AZPreps365.com

Brad Bode has coached Arizona Lutheran's varsity volleyball team for over two decades. He’s won over 400 games and seen almost 1,000 matches, but as far as he can remember, he has never coached a set of twins.

Until 2022. That's when the Drexlers showed up on campus. That he will always remember.

And for good reason.

Emma Drexler, who plays libero, has played on the Coyotes’ varsity squad since her freshman season in 2022; her twin sister Elie was bumped up the following year, and the two juniors are now front and center for Arizona Lutheran’s best season in years as the Coyotes are 25-12 overall, 10-4 in regular season matches and 4-1 in 2A Valley Reion play through Monday's action.

The connection between the two has been there since birth; they’ve played every sport together their entire lives.

“It’s all we’ve ever known,” said Elie, who is a setter. “I remember playing grade school volleyball and basketball with her (Emma), knowing I could trust her.”

The connection has grown so strong they can read each other in a way most athletes would dream of.

“She (Elie) can always feel when I'm upset with myself,” said Emma, who said the two have developed a “twin telepathy” over the years.

Bode has never coached twins, but he’s seen pairs of sisters play together, including a separate sibling duo this year.

“You can see what one might see at home with sibling rivalries and spats,” said Bode. “But for the most part, they work it out off the court... They love each other.”

Emma (left) and Elie (right) Drexler on the floor for an Arizona Lutheran match. (Drexler family photo/AZPreps365)

The pair can experience some difficulties on the floor, but their bond and the passage of time have helped them get through it.

“As we’ve grown, we’ve learned to mature and pick ourselves up,” said Elie, adding that most of those difficulties come from issues everyone on the team tends to experience. The two also push each other differently than others in the gym, with Emma explaining.

 “There’s nobody I can almost yell at or encourage like I can with Elie,” Emma said.

As with most students at ALA, the Drexler twins involvement in the community doesn’t just stop with sports. Stop in on any given Sunday, and you’ll find the girls at Pilgrim Lutheran Church volunteering and giving back.

“They work tirelessly in church, in choir, in school. They use their time to the max, using the gifts that God has given them,” said Bode. “It’s pretty cool to watch.”

Both girls are tri-sport athletes; when volleyball season ends, they’ll pick up a basketball. Come spring Emma be found at the track competing in running events where she qualified in for state whle Elie hit .450 for the softball team.

That jam-packed schedule is common among players on the team, who just a few weeks ago were balancing a three-game week with schoolwork and leadership roles in homecoming events.

“We’ve been doing it so long that we need to dedicate time to each activity,” said Elie. “When you’re in one event, you need to be focused just on that.”

That dedication to service can roll over onto the court, and when you’re in the middle of a push to the state championship, it can even give you a leg up.

After a recent loss to No. 2 Phoenix Country Day, the Drexlers remained positive and hopeful about the season. The Coyotes are No. 5 in 2A with three matches remaining.

“We play good teams like this all the time,” said Emma. “Most of the time we try and encourage each other and pick each other up.”

The two have talked about the future, knowing that in two short years their time as high school students will be up and they’ll each embark on a new chapter, but for now there’s more matches to win and more memories to make.