FORT MYERS, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern setter Fiona Baker grew up playing alongside her little sister Kaia for 10 years in Germany before coming to Southwest Florida last fall to play for the Bucs. Friday the two will be on opposite sides of the net as FSW's All-American goes head to head with her 'Brudi' as they call each other, when the Bucs take on Eastern Arizona in the Dalton Overstreet Invitational in Prescott, Arizona.
Fiona is used to setting the ball to Kaia, an outside hitter, when they played together on VC Minden and VCO Munster in their hometown of Porta Westfalica, Germany. "We kind of just had an automatic connection" Fiona said. "We are only 12 months apart, so we are just about as close of a relationship as sisters can have, so it's one of those things where we didn't even have to talk to know what each other wanted."
Friday's matchup against each other though, will be unique to the two. "I only remember actually playing against each other one time" Fiona said. "It was kind of weird after having played together so much, but it was fun." Kaia echoed those sentiments saying "It will be one of the first times I will be playing against her instead of getting my sets from her."
The game should be a good one as FSW enters the tournament at 2-1 and ranked 6th in the country while Eastern Arizona has battled some of the top teams in the country and is fighting to get over the hump after having dropped three five set heartbreakers in the first two weeks of the season. "We actually haven't talked much about competing against each other" Kaia said "We've only really been talking about how we can't wait to see each other." This game will be a little bit different for the two with more on the line than their last meeting. "I am definitely excited, but want to win a lot more than the last time we played against each other" Fiona said with a smile.
Not to be forgotten in the middle of the battle is the Baker family. Fiona and Kaia's parents Bianca and Carlos, their brothers Damian and Logan, and their Grandfather George, who is a Southwest Florida resident. "I think it will obviously be hard for my family" Fiona said. "It's one of those situations where I don't think they can really pick a side" she said with a smirk. The Baker's may have to get a nap in Friday after work if they want to watch the game live, which is scheduled to start at 5:00 PM local time in Arizona which equates to 2:00 AM Saturday morning in Germany.
Coming off of an All-State and All-American freshman season, Fiona is off to another good start in 2021, racking up 76 assists in FSW's first three matches of the season to extend upon her already school record of 1068 in her year plus with the Bucs. Kaia said as a player Fiona "really knows her hitters and makes smart decisions on who to set in different situations." Kaia was relegated to backrow duties to start the season, but last weekend was released for six rotation duty and averaged a double-double in the Gila Monsters' three games at the Arizona Western Invitational. Fiona describes her as "a very smart player who makes very few mistakes and knows how to use the block well and make smart shots."
The Bucs will head to Arizona on Wednesday ahead of their matchup with the host and 16th ranked Yavapai Roughriders Thursday night in Prescott. Friday along with their Baker vs. Baker contest against Eastern Arizona, they will tangle with #4 Utah State Eastern and will finish the tournament with a National Tournament rematch against #2 Snow on Saturday morning.
Fans can watch the Bucs in Arizona live via the FSWBucs Facebook page by going to Facebook.com/FSWBucs.