How 2 of Rockford's top volleyball players became great rivals and even greater friends

The Dakota volleyball team can’t beat Aquin. Dakota is 23-4 this year, with three of those losses to Aquin. Without winning a set.

So perhaps it is not surprising when Dakota star Abi Schlueter enjoys seeing Aquin star Lucy Arndt goof up.

“My favorite moments are the ones when she makes a silly mistake and you can just watch the film and literally see us laughing and making fun of each other,” Schlueter said.

That’s during club season, when she and Arndt are teammates on Rockford’s VC United team. As opponents, the two have always had the utmost respect for each other. So much so that they became instant friends after meeting for the first time in an Aquin-Dakota game in a middle school tournament in sixth grade.

“After the tournament,” Arndt said, “we DM’d each other. ‘Oh my gosh, you played so well today!’ We went from there. We have been friends ever since.”

Best friends.

And the two best players in the NUIC.

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“It’s always been bittersweet,” Dakota coach Jaycee Cleaver said. “Both are high-level players, so when they meet you know it’s going to be a high-level game. Unfortunately, we have not been able to knock them off yet. That’s the bitter part. But when you go into the gym with the two best volleyball players in the area, you always know it’s going to be a good game.”

NUIC power Dakota has four losses, one to G-K and three to Aquin. Arndt led Aquin to its first state trophy last year, when the Bulldogs finished third in Class 1A. Aquin (21-1, 10-0) might be even better this year, splitting two matches with Genoa-Kingston (25-2) for its only loss.

But Arndt's favorite games are against Dakota and her best friend.

“Abi is a great player now. And she was a great player back then, too,” Arndt said. “It was fun playing against her.”

The two began playing together as club teammates on VC United’s 13-under team. As opponents, Schlueter has led Dakota in both kills (23 in three games) and digs (20) in all three matches against Aquin, while Arndt has led the Bulldogs in kills (26) in all three matches and digs (22) in the first two matchups but not the third.

The two both reached 1,000 career kills in the same week this season and both are NCAA Division I recruits, with Schlueter committed to Memphis and Arndt to Southeast Missouri State.

“The thing I respect Lucy for the most is her composure and intelligence,” Schlueter said. “Never will she be cocky or hot-headed and she will respect every opponent she plays. … She has a personality that makes the game so much more enjoyable.”

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Their friendship goes beyond the volleyball court. Lucy’s mom, Alise Arndt, calls the two “small-town girls with big dreams” and says “We love Abi and treat her like our own as we took her on many club trips with us.”

And that’s not all. The two rivals call each other best friends. Schlueter has even traveled to the Arndt’s lake house a couple of times in Montello, Wisconsin, on White Lake.

”We think alike and have a great time together,” Lucy Arndt said. “It’s fun hanging out with her. We go fishing, tubing, night swimming and play board games. Telestrations. That’s always a fun one.

“We also like shopping. We love to shop. And go to Chick-Fil-A.”

“We always like to ride to practices together,” Schlueter said, “and listen to ‘90s rap and old 2000’s songs. And we always love stopping at Culver’s for ice cream after hard practices. The thing that makes all of those things fun is that we always have something to talk and laugh about. Every second with her is enjoyable. There is never a dull moment.”

The last time they played, the two smiled at each other. Schlueter then told Arndt, “Don’t hit me in the face.” Arndt said the same thing back. But that wouldn’t happen anyway. The two great friends spend a lot of time together off the court. But on the court, they know — and respect — each other well enough not to challenge each other.

“I try to stay away from her,” Arndt said. “She is such a great player. She would get everything up.”

Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and three years covering the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: IHSA volleyball: Division I Aquin, Dakota players are best friends