Sister, sister: With knee fully healthy, senior Amanda Stephens joins younger sibling to lead Suns

AUGUSTA, Ill. — Amanda Stephens’ troublesome knee isn’t giving her trouble any longer.

A senior setter and hitter on the Southeastern volleyball team, who has committed to Indiana University-Indianapolis, missed the final 12 matches of her junior season and watched the Suns fall in the Class 1A sectional semifinals all because the pain in her right knee became too much to bear.

“I was doing extra with going to like St. Louis and playing volleyball there, too. I was playing volleyball every day, and I was just putting a lot of pressure on my knees,” said the 6-foot Stephens, who battled discomfort in her knee for two years. “I just told myself to push through it.”

About two-thirds of the way through the 2023 season, the pain won.

“I did that so much to where my pain became chronic and it was to the point to where I couldn’t play anymore,” Stephens said.

So she received a platelet-rich plasma injection, which put her on the sideline for the final third of the season and kept her out of action for three months. As aggravating as that was at times, Stephens is confident she made the right decision.

“I was like, ‘Would I rather be 50 percent now, then get the shots and sit out the next season, my senior year? Or would I just rather get the shots now and see what we can do next year?’” Stephens said. “It was definitely worth getting the shots then.

“If I wanted to be who I was, I had to take that break, get the shots and sit out. I just wasn’t having as much fun anymore because I was in pain all the time. I had to do a 30-minute warmup before every game, and I had to do creams, medicines, exercises. My whole life was dedicated to healing my knees, and I was just tired of that.”

Suns coach Tim Kerr can’t wait to see what Stephens is capable of now at full health.

“It will be exciting to see her back to her normal self because last year she was just laboring,” Kerr said. “She still was effective when she played, but you can tell the difference athletically. She’s back to herself again.”

And that means a 1-2 punch for the Suns that is truly all in the family. Suns sophomore Kara Stephens will be a critical part of the attack as a setter and hitter as well.

“I can’t really explain how it is playing with your sister, but it’s really nice because we relate on so many levels, especially after games and practices,” Amanda Stephens said. “She’s somebody I can go to and talk about things with. I can always ask my sister because she’s going to be honest with me, like ‘I don’t think you did very well at swinging this game. Maybe you can improve on that.’ I admire my sister because she’s so honest, and I can always go to her if I have any questions.”

Kara said there can be some bickering between the sisters, but it’s just tough love.

“We get frustrated with each other, but at the end of the day, we’re over it,” Kara Stephens said. “She makes me a better person on and off the court.”

The sisters have the rare ability to set and hit at a high level, something Kerr said gives the Suns a freedom that many teams can only hope for.

“It’s not necessarily unique to have a two-setter system, but it is unique to have a two-setter system where they are going to play the middle in the front row,” Kerr said. “At small schools like here, typically there’s specialization. You’ll have a short kid that’s a good setter and a tall kid that’s a good hitter.”

The Stephens sisters can’t do it by themselves though. Kenzie Griswold may be better known around Augusta for her accomplishments on the softball diamond, but she adds depth to the Suns’ offensive attack on the volleyball court. She hit .385 with 201 kills as a sophomore in 2023.

“She became our No. 1 weapon when Amanda was hurt, so I think she’s going to continue to elevate her game and become more and more known as a great volleyball player as well as a great softball player,” Kerr said.

Kerr said senior Savannah Ramsey could be the Suns’ unsung hero.

“If you don’t know much about the game, you may not notice Savannah very much, but if you know the game, you recognize how solid she is, one of those glue players,” Kerr said. “You can be good without kids like that, but you can’t be great without kids like that. It’s not just being able to set it and spike it. There are a lot of other elements to the game, and she does a lot of those things for us and allows girls like the Stephens’ and Kenzie to really excel and be seen.”

Southeastern opens the season Aug. 27 at Pittsfield.