Sibling connection powers NSU volleyball

By Isabella Fernandez de Cueto •

Erika and Gabrielle Spankus, sisters on the volleyball team, are reuniting on the court for the first time in both of their collegiate careers. Erika, junior biology major, transferred to NSU this fall after spending two years at South Alabama, while Gabrielle, senior chemistry major, spent the 2022 season at Arkansas-Little Rock and the last two at NSU.

“We’re best friends, inseparable and we’ve always been that way, so we’re really happy and excited,” Erika Spankus said.

This is not the duo’s first time playing together, as the Palm Harbor natives were often on the same youth team.

“Erika played up a lot, she played on my team a lot of the years that we played club volleyball,” Gabrielle Spankus said. “Having her again is bringing us back to those early days of when we were learning together.”

Erika Spankus chose to come to NSU for more of a student-athlete balance. She was fortunate to have her sister as a guide through the transfer portal process.

“Coming from a Division I school, the balance between academics and athletics was a big deciding factor for me, and I found that NSU was a great fit for me because of the class sizes and the team culture in the volleyball program,” Erika Spankus said. “My sister helped me with that decision a lot, and she was able to tell me what I should look for in a school and everything she admired about this program.”

With the Sharks getting off to a 8-3 record, Erika Spankus said she has fit right in with her new team.

“I really love all the girls, we’re like one big family and we’re able to push each other on and off the court,” Erika Spankus said. “We’re able to hold each other accountable, and we’re all just willing to get after it and be competitive.”

In her first season as a Shark, Erika Spankus is excited to help maintain the volleyball team’s winning culture, which went 20-11 last season and finished sixth in the conference, earning a bid to the NCAA South Region Tournament.

“I’m looking forward to going as far as we can go, hopefully winning a conference championship and aiming for a national championship,” Erika Spankus said.

Gabrielle Spankus is in the last season of her collegiate athletic career. She led the team in assists in the 2024 season and played 97 sets.

“I’m excited to finish out this last season with all of my close friends and get as far as we can as a program, which includes winning a national championship,” Gabrielle Spankus said. “I couldn’t be happier that Erika’s with me. It’s such a fun way to close out my college career and overall volleyball career, as well.”

Erika Spankus said that the pair’s close relationship will help them keep each other motivated as they set out on a long season, one that runs from August through December.

“We understand each other not only as sisters, but as teammates and we’re able to hold each other accountable and lean on each other more,” Erika Spankus said.

As she goes through her final season, Gabrielle Spankus often reflects on her and her sister’s volleyball journey, one that brought them back together at the perfect time.

“I like that we can look back and see how far we’ve come because we both started at the same time,” Gabrielle Spankus said. “We trained together, played at the same clubs growing up and now we’re finishing it out together at the same place.”