Oftentimes, teammates refer to each other as family. The bond that forms between athletes after countless hours of training and practice can create this effect. However, for Sun Devil Water Polo's Frangieh and Glad sisters, family extends far beyond the pool.
The Sun Devil water polo team has a unique familial aspect this season, featuring two sets of sisters.
The Glad sisters, Molly and Keri, are playing their first season with the program after Molly graduated early from USC to transfer to ASU to play with her sister Keri, who is a freshman this season. The duo gets the opportunity to play on the same team for the first time. Their age difference has never allowed them to compete at the same level.
"Ever since seventh grade, I've had a dream of playing with Molly when I got to high school in Oregon, but then that never ended up happening," goalkeeper Keri Glad said.
The Glad sisters, who grew up in West Linn, Oregon, each moved to California to join the 6-8 Academy at 14 years old to develop their game. The move was a massive leap for each sister, moving away from their parents to train at the academy while doing school online.
The two trained together for a brief period before Molly started playing water polo collegiately. However, after never playing on the same team, Molly saw an opportunity to do so this season and never looked back.
"I made the decision to graduate early and play my last two years here as a grad student, which was one of the best decisions I've ever made," redshirt junior Molly Glad said. "Obviously, we're built-in best friends, but it's a dream come true for the two of us to play together."
Keri credits her older sister, Molly, for taking her under her wing during her tenure at the academy.
"She would come down on weekends to see me," Keri said. "Molly did it before me when she was that young, so she taught me how to grow up so fast. She became my second mother in a way."
Older sister Molly has taken much pleasure in watching Keri develop into the talented player she is today. Keri was selected to compete on the 2024 United States Women's Youth National Team Roster for her services as a goalkeeper, and Molly enjoyed every moment of it.
"I remember specifically when she first got the email about being on the world's roster. Oh my gosh, it was one of the best nights of our lives," the graduate transfer said. "I got to support her when she was representing our country. I am just so proud of all the hard work she has done and everything she sacrificed to be here."
Meanwhile, the Frangieh sisters, Zoe and Karly, have undergone a unique journey together, transitioning from competitive swimming in their hometown of Los Gatos, California, to playing water polo at ASU.
Zoe Frangieh, a junior, joined ASU water polo after an unconventional recruiting process during the COVID-19 pandemic and has always known she wanted to play water polo even before the pandemic altered her athletic journey.
Even with Zoe's commitment to ASU being a "stroke of luck" due to the disruption throughout the recruitment process, her transition has ultimately led to her newfound admiration for the team-focused sport.
At the time, Karly Frangieh, a freshman, was still focused on swimming after doing so competitively since she was six years old.
"I ended up finishing off my high school swimming season and decided that over the summer, I liked water polo more. I had been swimming for so long, and kind of got the feeling that maybe it wasn't in the cards for me to swim," Karly said.
Karly's breakout performances characterized her high school junior and senior years. She was in the middle of visiting schools to be recruited for swimming. It was then she realized that she wanted to try water polo after seeing the team's camaraderie and witnessing her sister's enjoyment of the sport.
"I just think that inevitably, she just wanted to come and try something different with me, and I've just had a great time so far. It's been really awesome," Zoe said.
Karly also alluded to her connection with ASU women's water polo head coach Petra Pardi as a strong influence on her transition to water polo and her commitment to ASU.
"I've known Coach Petra for two years because of Zoe. She had always been talking about me coming to play and offering me a spot, but I just thought, 'Oh no, I'm going to swim.' Then I ended up coming here due to that connection," Karly said.
The Glad and Frangieh sisters' relationship is an unbreakable bond. The strength of their relationships as sisters is highlighted by their mutual victories and sacrifices. Whether it was Molly and Keri finally living their dream of competing together or Zoe and Karly's shift from swimming to water polo, the sisters expressed how the strength of a family can propel a team to new heights.
The Sun Devil water polo team has a unique familial aspect this season, featuring two sets of sisters.
The Glad sisters, Molly and Keri, are playing their first season with the program after Molly graduated early from USC to transfer to ASU to play with her sister Keri, who is a freshman this season. The duo gets the opportunity to play on the same team for the first time. Their age difference has never allowed them to compete at the same level.
"Ever since seventh grade, I've had a dream of playing with Molly when I got to high school in Oregon, but then that never ended up happening," goalkeeper Keri Glad said.
The Glad sisters, who grew up in West Linn, Oregon, each moved to California to join the 6-8 Academy at 14 years old to develop their game. The move was a massive leap for each sister, moving away from their parents to train at the academy while doing school online.
The two trained together for a brief period before Molly started playing water polo collegiately. However, after never playing on the same team, Molly saw an opportunity to do so this season and never looked back.
"I made the decision to graduate early and play my last two years here as a grad student, which was one of the best decisions I've ever made," redshirt junior Molly Glad said. "Obviously, we're built-in best friends, but it's a dream come true for the two of us to play together."
Keri credits her older sister, Molly, for taking her under her wing during her tenure at the academy.
"She would come down on weekends to see me," Keri said. "Molly did it before me when she was that young, so she taught me how to grow up so fast. She became my second mother in a way."
Older sister Molly has taken much pleasure in watching Keri develop into the talented player she is today. Keri was selected to compete on the 2024 United States Women's Youth National Team Roster for her services as a goalkeeper, and Molly enjoyed every moment of it.
"I remember specifically when she first got the email about being on the world's roster. Oh my gosh, it was one of the best nights of our lives," the graduate transfer said. "I got to support her when she was representing our country. I am just so proud of all the hard work she has done and everything she sacrificed to be here."
Meanwhile, the Frangieh sisters, Zoe and Karly, have undergone a unique journey together, transitioning from competitive swimming in their hometown of Los Gatos, California, to playing water polo at ASU.
Zoe Frangieh, a junior, joined ASU water polo after an unconventional recruiting process during the COVID-19 pandemic and has always known she wanted to play water polo even before the pandemic altered her athletic journey.
Even with Zoe's commitment to ASU being a "stroke of luck" due to the disruption throughout the recruitment process, her transition has ultimately led to her newfound admiration for the team-focused sport.
At the time, Karly Frangieh, a freshman, was still focused on swimming after doing so competitively since she was six years old.
"I ended up finishing off my high school swimming season and decided that over the summer, I liked water polo more. I had been swimming for so long, and kind of got the feeling that maybe it wasn't in the cards for me to swim," Karly said.
Karly's breakout performances characterized her high school junior and senior years. She was in the middle of visiting schools to be recruited for swimming. It was then she realized that she wanted to try water polo after seeing the team's camaraderie and witnessing her sister's enjoyment of the sport.
"I just think that inevitably, she just wanted to come and try something different with me, and I've just had a great time so far. It's been really awesome," Zoe said.
Karly also alluded to her connection with ASU women's water polo head coach Petra Pardi as a strong influence on her transition to water polo and her commitment to ASU.
"I've known Coach Petra for two years because of Zoe. She had always been talking about me coming to play and offering me a spot, but I just thought, 'Oh no, I'm going to swim.' Then I ended up coming here due to that connection," Karly said.
The Glad and Frangieh sisters' relationship is an unbreakable bond. The strength of their relationships as sisters is highlighted by their mutual victories and sacrifices. Whether it was Molly and Keri finally living their dream of competing together or Zoe and Karly's shift from swimming to water polo, the sisters expressed how the strength of a family can propel a team to new heights.