AUBURN, Ala. – The family of Auburn volleyball’s Paige Thibault will be easy to spot Friday when the Tigers play at Minnesota.
They’ll be wearing custom jerseys – half Auburn’s orange and blue, and half Minnesota’s maroon and gold – displaying Paige’s No. 13 and her sister Kate’s No. 6.
“They already made them,” Paige said. “There’s Auburn and my number, then Minnesota and my sister’s number, and our last name on the back.”
A senior libero, Paige is in her second season on the Plains while Kate is a sophomore defensive specialist for the Golden Gophers.
When Paige transferred to Auburn from Florida International after starting her college career at Indiana Wesleyan, the Tigers’ trip to Minnesota had not yet been scheduled.
“What are the odds of that?” Paige remembers thinking when the 2024 schedule was announced. “It’s been this big talking point between my family and all my friends.”
Minnesota’s Maturi Pavilion seats 5,700, enough to accommodate the approximately 5,000 residents of the Thibaults’ hometown of Watertown, many of whom will be driving 30 miles east to Minneapolis to see the sisters compete.
“We’re expecting a lot of people,” Paige said. “They usually pack that arena and sell it out. We’ll see. I’ve never played in an environment like that.
“It’s going to be so fun. Their volleyball team is a big deal and it’s everyone’s dream who grew up there, even my dream. Being able to play in that arena is going to be awesome.”
Paige, two years older than Kate, keeps in close contact with her sister, even when they were separated by thousands of miles.
“We’re best friends,” Paige said. “We still talk every single day, multiple times a day. I’m really excited to see her. I’m hoping to see my family in between our practices, training and scouting.”
Kate began her college career at Oregon before transferring to her home-state school after a coaching change.
“My sister and I always went to games there growing up,” Paige said. “It’s kind of ironic that she’s there now.”