DIKE – Some of the biggest volleyball battles for Dike-New Hartford's Petersen family happened on a specially made court at their house.
The court, comprised of a dog leash tied to a basketball hoop at one end and a pole on a deck at the other, is where sisters Sydney, Baylee, Payton and Jadyn often played against each other while their mom Bobbi watched.
“It was nothing fancy,” Bobbi said.
It was more than serviceable for the two sets of twins, who didn’t need much or really ask for much when it came to volleyball. All they really wanted was a place to occasionally work with Bobbi, the women’s volleyball coach at the University of Northern Iowa, and a net to use so they could play against each other whenever they had time to get a game in.
“There’s been so many games back there,” Sydney said.
It turned into one of the most important spots for the development of what has become one of the best volleyball families in the state. The two oldest, Sydney and Baylee, have already played Division I volleyball. Now Payton and Jadyn, both seniors at Dike-New Hartford, are getting ready to do the same.
“That’s four D1 athletes in one family,” Sydney said. “That’s pretty amazing.”
What's even more amazing is what they've accomplished together.
A love of volleyball forms with all four daughters
Bobbi never pushed her daughters to play volleyball. They just naturally gravitated to the sport. It's easy to see why. Bobbi was a star herself, first at Dike High School and then at Northern Iowa, where she was named a first-team All-Gateway Conference pick from 1987-89.
After graduating she played professional with the Iowa Blizzard of the National Volleyball Association. Bobbi then returned to Northern Iowa as an assistant coach for the Panthers from 1995-96 and 1998-2000. She was the interim head coach for the 1997 season before taking over for good in 2001.
Despite her heavy involvement with the game, she never pressured her kids to join in. Sometimes, she did the opposite. Bobbi supported Sydney when she was more interested in basketball. She encouraged Jadyn to play soccer and basketball, both sports in which she thought her daughter could have a future. Still, one by one, the girls grew to love volleyball.
“I just think being around it and just being around the student-athletes and seeing their love and passion for the game,” Bobbi said.
There were plenty of those opportunities. The family has pictures of Sydney and Baylee crawling on the floor at West Gym when they were just a few years old, chasing volleyballs. The two sets of twins, born six years apart, attended practices and games and went on the road every now and then with their mom and the Panthers. They popped into workouts to watch her coach. They grabbed front-row seats at all the home matches and went with Bobbi and their dad Duane when the Panthers took trips overseas. Panther players became their idols. They’d sometimes sit with their mom as she watched film.
“There was always volleyball on during volleyball season,” Sydney said.
Bobbi could quickly tell the girls were fans of it all, especially Sydney, who peppered her mom with questions while they attended the Final Four. Sydney wanted to know why a player was here or there and why they were doing certain things.
“She was only 5 years old and she was just mesmerized by what was going on and she was asking me questions that I’m like, ‘OK, a 5-year-old should not be asking those kind of questions,'” Bobbi said.
They were all interested. And they all wanted to get better. So they tried to tap into their mom’s expertise as much as they could. Bobbi, who didn’t want to get in the way of the girls’ coaches, was willing to offer helpful hints only when her daughters requested it. And they did − a lot. But Bobbi tried not to make it coaching. She tried to make her lessons into games, sometimes challenging the girls to get 20 rallies in a row. They’d want to stay out so late that Duane had to bring a light out of the garage for them to see.
“It was more like a fun little game and all of us were way too competitive to not get it done,” Sydney said.
The four used their homemade court to play one-on-one or two-on-two games. The matches were intense and fiery and would usually end with the losing team or individual storming off. The anger would linger throughout the evening.
"We'd go to dinner and it'd be silent," Sydney said.
But the time together worked.
Sydney, Baylee, Payton and Jadyn become volleyball stars
Dike-New Hartford volleyball coach Diane Harms had a good idea what was headed her way before the four Petersen girls even got to high school. Harms, who had played against Bobbi in high school, saw the girls playing AAU in fourth grade. The talent was obvious right away.
"You could just see that they're just athletes back then ... and then as they grew, what they were able to do with the ball and everything on the court was pretty special," Harms said.
All the time being in the gym and watching volleyball with their mom had given them a high IQ for the sport. Their experiences getting reps in the backyard helped make them into stellar and determined athletes. Baylee and Sydney guided Dike-New Hartford to state championships during the 2014, 2016 and 2017 seasons. Sydney was selected as the 2016 Class 3A player of the year as a junior and the Class 2A player of the year as a senior in 2017. Payton and Jadyn have been just as successful, taking their team to the title game during their first three seasons, tallying championships in 2020 and 2021.
The success of the the Petersen girls caught the attention of college coaches throughout the nation, including their own mom, who wanted them to play at Northern Iowa. It wasn't easy for any of them. Bobbi not only had to recruit her own daughters but help them during the process, sometimes taking them to different schools to hear pitches from other coaches. To make the situations more comfortable, Bobbi offered to step away of any conversations if they wanted.
"It's a little awkward," Bobbi said.
But it worked out for everyone. Baylee committed to Northern Iowa and played for her mom. Sydney, who dreamed of playing in the Final Four, went to Texas and was a part of the team's runner-up finish in 2020. Before she finished up her eligibility, she transferred to Northern Iowa to reunite with her mom and sister. It turned into a special season for them with the Panthers tallying a 27-8 mark and 18-1 record in Missouri Valley Conference play.
"I didn't think that I would ever get the chance to play with her on a team like that after high school," Baylee said of her sister.
It's a similar path for Payton and Jadyn. Payton committed to play at Louisville. Jadyn will play for their mom at Northern Iowa. That means time is ticking on their time together on the volleyball court. So the whole family is trying to make the most of it. Sydney, who works as a teacher at Cedar Falls High School and is a member of the volleyball coaching staff, goes to as many matches as possible. So do Bobbi, Duane and Baylee.
"When it's all over, I'm going to be a little tearful," Payton said. "But right now, I don't think it's settled in. I'm just trying to enjoy everything."
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468
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