The 2009 women’s Wimbledon grand slam finals were set to start just like every other year. The stands were filled, tickets sold out. Fans waited anxiously for the match to start. But that year something was different − the finalists were sisters, Serena and Venus Williams. The match ended in two sets with Serena beating Venus 7-6, 6-2.

Since their childhood, the two have competed head to head countless times. In singles matches they are fierce competitors, but as doubles players they have the opportunity to work together and combine their strengths.

Palo Alto High School has many pairs of siblings who have felt the same competition before but, like the Williams sisters, they too can put their strengths together and work as a team.

An example of this dynamic are twins Savannah and Haley Owens (‘13). The duo played for Paly’s junior varsity volleyball team last year as freshmen. They both play outside hitter, so they are constantly competing with each other for a starting position.

“Over the season, we’re really supportive of each other, and it’s really nice because we can give each other tips on what we’re doing wrong and we won’t take it offensively,” Haley said. “But this year, since we’re on different teams, it’s strange being without her.”

Close friends off the court, the Owens enjoy the comfort of having each other on the court. This year, Savannah is on the Paly varsity volleyball team, while Haley is on the junior varsity team.

“I hate not having Haley on the court with me,” Savannah said. “It sucks because she isn’t in on some of the jokes or things that happened at practice. I really wish she was on the team with me.”

Brothers Jackson (‘11) and Sam (‘12) Moses play together on the Paly varsity football team. Their dynamic as teammates is different because they play the same offensive and defensive positions, but they each have a starting spot on the field

“I guess it’s fun because we get to go at it every once in a while, see who’s better,” Sam said. “But we each have a starting spot, so it doesn’t really affect our relationship that much.”

In Sam’s eyes, they are not very competitive with each other, but in Jackson’s eyes, they are competitive in every aspect of their day-to-day lives.

“Everything we do is a competition between one another,” Jackson said.

In some cases, a coach treats siblings similarly, but just because they share a last name does not mean they are the same person.

“Jackson and Sam are different people,” Paly head football coach Earl Hansen said. “They don’t act alike, they don’t look alike, we don’t treat them the same. They both play very well and they both work very hard. I haven’t seen them arguing on the field.”

Scott Witte (‘10), varsity baseball pitcher and Santa Clara Valley Athletic League MVP, left big shoes to fill for his younger brother, Jack Witte (‘12), who will be on the varsity baseball team this spring.

Being the older brother carries an extra weight that most of Scott’s teammates did not carry throughout the season. He knew his actions would always affect Jack, and because they are only two years apart in age, Jack would have many of the same teammates Scott had.

“I feel like I have to set a good example and be a better role model because I have to be an older brother, so I don’t want him doing any dumb stuff or saying anything that I wouldn’t want my younger brother to say,” Scott said.

Having an older brother who was so successful as a high school baseball player can make siblings feel like they will never live up to the expectations of their coaches. Jack, however, knows he is a different player than his brother and does not feel any extra responsibilities.

“He was Pitcher of the League and I’m not a pitcher, so I don’t have to live up to any expectations other than being the best I can be,” Jack said.

Though they never played baseball together in high school, the Wittes work as a team when it comes to offseason training or strategic input of the game. They would rather see each other succeed in baseball than be competitive and try to beat each other out.

“We get pretty heated during Madden [an Xbox game] and one-on-one games in the front yard,” Jack said. “But with baseball, it’s more about working out together, throwing and hitting or lifting to help each other get better.”

Having siblings on the same team can be a challenging situation, but if they are close with each other, they can use their competitive nature to their advantage.

Players who grew up competing against one another now have the opportunity to push each other to combine and create a force built twice as strong.