2 sisters share on-field success

IU freshman midfielder Kelsey Kiper remembers watching her older sister Katie play field hockey in high school. After Kelsey quit field hockey in sixth grade, Katie renewed her interest in the game.\n“In eighth grade, I would see her playing for our high school team, and I think that influenced my decision to play in high school,” Kelsey Kiper said.\nAfter four years of field hockey at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Ky., Kelsey Kiper followed in her sister’s footsteps again, joining Katie Kiper at IU. \nEarly on in the season, the decision has paid off for the Kipers and the Hoosiers as the sisters have wasted no time blending with one another on the field. \nIn the season opener against Pacific, Katie Kiper assisted Kelsey Kiper on the first goal of the year for the Hoosiers.\n“It was a really cool feeling,” Katie Kiper said of the goal. “I just made a move and looked up and saw Kelsey open. Hopefully we’ll have some more of those.”\nEven though their early season success would indicate otherwise, this is the first time that the siblings have competed together on the field.\nKatie Kiper, a junior forward on the team, and Kelsey Kiper both played high school field hockey at Sacred Heart, but never together. Sacred Heart has a freshmen, junior varsity and varsity team, and by the time Kelsey Kiper made junior varsity her sophomore year, Katie Kiper was a senior playing varsity.\nKelsey Kiper said she talked with Katie Kiper during her college search, but her decision to play at IU was never set in stone. \n“In the beginning I sort of viewed the whole sister thing as a negative,” Kelsey Kiper said. “I sort of wanted something different for myself, and (I) didn’t really want to follow that same path.”\nBut Kelsey Kiper treated the search objectively and decided that IU was the right place for her. \nSince Kelsey Kiper arrived at IU, her older sister has made the transition to college easier for her both on and off the field. \n“I think it has been easier for her than it might have been otherwise,” Katie Kiper said. “She stayed with me this summer and got to know some of the teammates ahead of time.”\nKelsey Kiper said she can lean on Katie Kiper for help, whether it’s what to do in practice, how to find a building on campus or how to handle a load of laundry.\nThe early success of the sisters on the field has pleased IU coach Amy Robertson, who said she has enjoyed watching the girls compete in practice and in games.\n“I love that they are perfectionists,” she said. “They have a great drive to get better. They are so determined that sometimes their only weakness is not recognizing their strengths, but you can never say that they don’t work hard. They are strong, tough and gutsy competitors. They cheer hard for each other but they also compete hard with each other on the field.” \nThe experience is new for the Kipers, but they are enjoying sharing it together.\n“It’s not very often that sisters get to play together at the NCAA level,” Katie Kiper said. “It’s definitely new for us, but it has been fun.”