GROWING up, sisters Michelle and Mayeth Carolino used to bond while watching volleyball games in their old television set in their home province of Batangas.
As grown-ups, the two are now living their dream together.
The famed Carolino sisters are currently considered among the pillars of the Philippine Army team bidding to retain its title in the Shakey’s V-League Open Conference, standing out not only for their prowess but also for the special bond they share on and off the court.
Inseparable since childhood, both admitted they would rather play together than being pitted against each other.
“Ok lang naman kung magkalaban, pero siyempre mas maganda kung mag-kasama kami sa team,” Michelle, the elder of the two at 34, told Spin.ph.
It was actually Mayeth, 32, who first got hooked on the sport after joining the varsity team of the Pook Elementary School in Batangas as a fourth grader.
Michelle fell in love with the sport at a later age. Her inclusion to the Agoncillo College women’s volleyball team even came not by choice, but by chance.
“Hindi pa ako marunong mag-laro noon eh, nanonood lang ako sa kanila [Mayette],” Michelle recalled. “Tapos kulang sila ng isang miyembro, kaya ayun nahatak lang ako para makumpleto sila sa team. Bale filler lang ako.”
That proved to be the start of a long partnershipfor the sisters that brought them together at Letran where they won an NCAA championship in the late 90s, and later, with the national team.
Their collaboration has gone so long that they already know each other’s move by instinct.
“Tinginan lang, alam na namin. Kilala na namin ang isa’t-isa,” said Mayeth.
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