Sister Act

Backyard lacrosse battles were a common occurrence for the Sterling and Clevenger sisters as teenagers growing up. They occurred on the blades of grass beneath them with a goal that sported battered pipes and frayed netting. 

Emily Sterling, a goalie, and Maddy Sterling, a midfielder at the time, used their battles to improve each other’s game. Maddy would attempt to score on her older sister, while Emily would try to turn away her shots. Sometimes the sisters would flip the roles.

“That never ended well for Maddy,” Emily, a graduate student, joked. “She is not built to be in goal. She looks all tough until she gets in goal.”

Eloise and Maisy Clevenger had similar experiences. They’re both attackers, but they grew up with a younger brother and older sister, Shay Clevenger, who played collegiate lacrosse and split time at Loyola and Louisville from 2019-2022. 

Maisy is the youngest sister and looks up to her older sisters. She says the family’s backyard battles made her the player she is now.    

“It was very competitive,” the freshman said. “Definitely was bossed around from the moment I was born to now, but it has helped me a lot. When I don't know where to be Eloise is just always there.”

Now, Emily and Maddy Sterling and Eloise and Maisy Clevenger are two sets of sisters playing lacrosse alongside each other at the University of Maryland. Each says growing up together shaped them into the players they are today.

The younger sister who followed the older sister wanted to continue Maryland’s history of creating lacrosse families. Brooke (2012-15) and Brindi Griffin (2017-21), Taylor (2015-18) and Victoria Hensh (2020-present), and Catie (2018-21) and Libby May (2020-present) are other sisters who played for Terps under head coach Cathy Reese. 

“Our families are really important to our team, and we like to treat our team as a family,” Reese said. “You have these kids that understand what their siblings go through. They know that the University of Maryland, our athletic department and our women's lacrosse program are something special. They want to be a part of it and it’s nice to keep those connections going.”

Emily and Maddy Sterling previously played on the same lacrosse team in high school at John Carroll as residents of Bel Air, Md. However, the sisters have played sports together since they were about 5 and 3 years old.

It started with soccer. Emily showed up to her first practice with Maddy accompanying her. Maddy saw her older sister having fun on the field and wanted to join her, but her mother told her she was too young. The coach of the soccer team let her practice anyway. 

When Emily signed up for lacrosse a few years later, Maddy joined her.

“My thing was to say me too,” Maddy, a sophomore defender, said. “My sister signed up for lacrosse when she was little and I was like, ‘Me too! I want to do it!’ I feel like I kind of used it to my advantage with my older sister being on the team. She loved having me on the team and supported me.”

Maddy was playing with girls who were older than her for most of her childhood. The sisters played alongside each other in recreation leagues for soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. They even practiced together at Sky Walkers Lacrosse Club.

“Playing against older girls two years older than me who are stronger than me helped push me,” Maddy said. “I always thought it was so cool. I'm like, ‘I'm on the team with my big sister.’”

The latter statement remains true, and Emily says she couldn’t contain her excitement when she found out Maddy was teaming up with her at Maryland. It all came to fruition when they were both on the field at the same time on Feb. 11, 2023, for a 15-5 blowout win against Saint Joseph’s.

“I remember the first time that Maddy had stepped on the field with me,” Emily said. “I literally got chills. It was last year at SECU Stadium, and I just walked up to her right after we scored the next goal, and I gave her the biggest hug.”

Eloise and Maisy Clevenger are playing together on the same team for the first time this season. Both attended Marriotts Ridge High School as natives of Woodstock, Md. They were supposed to play together during Eloise’s senior and Maisy’s freshman season, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused the lacrosse season to be canceled. 

“I've always wanted to play with Eloise,” Maisy said. “Getting that ripped away sucked, but it only made me play harder so that I could play at the level that she's at.”

Maisy also always wanted to play for Maryland. Getting the chance to finally play alongside her older sister at her dream school was a no-brainer.

Since sharing the field, the sisters have even connected on several scoring plays. Eloise finding Maisy and vice versa for goals has become a recurring theme so far this season.   

“Her assisting me or me assisting her, it’s almost like that backyard connection,” Eloise, a senior, said. “Growing up and learning lacrosse together and then being able to do that at the collegiate level has been really special.”

The Clevenger and Sterling sisters are the next family members to leave a legacy at Maryland. Coach Reese often regards her program as a family. Maryland’s history of creating those families is unmatched, according to the sisters.   

“It really is a family community and something I would not give up for the world,” Maddy Sterling said. “Being able to play in college with your sisters is an experience not a lot of people have, so I didn’t want to pass it up. This is the best program in the nation, and I get to do it with my day-one best friend and make 30 other best friends.”