Oct. 14, 2002
by Josh Griffin, Sports Editor
The Santa Clara
Senior volleyball players Chrissy Hirsch and Cindy Hirsch are the co-captains of the No. 14 volleyball team in the NCAA. They are nearly impossible to tell apart and are inseparable off the court. As a result, they agreed to take a few minutes to sit down and chat with sports editor Josh Griffin about volleyball, San Jose State and being identical.
JG: Alright, I'm real embarassed to ask, but which is which?
Cindy: Oh don't worry about it, my dad always asks us which is which. But, Chrissy has long hair, and I have short hair.
JG: How is it that you two can live together, play volleyball together and go to school together without killing each other, when most twins won't even go to the same school?
Chrissy: To be completely honest, we need breaks, or we would kill each other.
Cindy: We end up being around each other way more during the volleyball season.
JG: Why did you both end up at Santa Clara?
Chrissy: We both grew up wanting to go here, since we're from the area.
Cindy: Both of us considered going to either UC-Santa Barbara or Santa Clara, but after the recruiting trip to Santa Barbara, we both didn't want to go there.
Chrissy: We also really did want to stay together.
JG: What kind of goals do you two have set for this volleyball season?
Chrissy: We want to win the conference, and reach the Round of 16 [in the NCAA Tournament] for sure. I think the ultimate goal would be to reach the top 10.
JG: How did it feel to beat San Jose State after the remarks they made about your team?
Cindy: It really was the best feeling. I thought it was great that everyone in the gym knew exactly what the girl said and stayed on her about it.
JG: Are they always real tough competition?
Chrissy: They were a little better last year, but they are always really hard to beat. They rise to the occasion for every matchup with Santa Clara.
JG: Are you really motivated by the comments like those of the San Jose State players before your game?
Cindy: Our whole team heard all about that, and we were so excited. There was so much riding on the game, since they knocked us out of the NCAA tournament last year.
Chrissy: We didn't like what they said, but we knew we were going to beat them.
JG: What is the biggest mix up you guys have had as twins?
Cindy: There has been a lot, but I don't know if we can put them in the paper.
JG: Well, how about one that's fit for print?
Chrissy: It's hard to meet people when Cindy's not there, because when they eventually meet Cindy, they are really confused.
JG: There has to be some concrete examples.
Chrissy: Cindy dumped my boyfriend for me in fourth grade.
JG: What kind of things do you guys do to get pumped up before games?
Chrissy: To be honest with you, some of us do a little dance.
Cindy: We have a tradition where five of us every year make up a dance, and get it started before the games, and then everyone else jumps in.
JG: Is it anything like the Dirty Bird?
Cindy: Oh no, we're talking full on choreographed, and done to an 'N Sync song.
JG: Oh, I should have guessed.