Open up Alexa Ethridge or Kira Larson’s Instagram feed and it’s what any other college students’ would look like: filled with pictures of their best friends.
For these two volleyball players, those best friends are each other.
Ethridge, a libero, and Larson, a right-side hitter, met two years ago at Nebraska, where they both played volleyball. Living together for two years, first in the residence halls then in an apartment, the two spent most of their time with each other, whether it was in the gym or out on the weekends.
“The big joke is that every Instagram is like, ‘Oh, it’s just another picture with Lex,’” Larson said. “That’s kind of how it’s always been.”
When the 2014 season ended, they both decided to transfer and would “do what was best for them individually,” Larson said. They were granted release from their scholarship in 2014 and began the hunt for a new school.
They both found their new homes at Missouri. Although they didn’t plan to come to Missouri together, Ehridge said it was “a bonus that we both ended up here.”
Playing on the same team as your best friend has its perks both on and off the court. They each had someone to go through the transfer process with and knew a familiar face at a new school.
“If you’ve got somebody that you already know, it’s a little easier because you’ve already got shared experiences,” coach Wayne Kreklow said. “They played together and they’ve been in the same gym for two years so I think they kind of know how the other one plays, which I’m sure helps.”
And the two agree. Being by each other’s side for three years now means they know how each other is going to act, whether in a good mood or bad mood, on the court or off the court. The two just “know how to respond to one another,” Larson said.
Although they’ve been with each other for good times and bad times, there’s not one memory that stands out to the duo.
“I literally had an Instagram caption one time that was like, ‘I swear I have other friends,’” Ethridge said. “It’s kinda like the past three years of our lives are just with each other. It’s one ongoing memory.”
