With sub-state drawing near, the Lawrence High volleyball team has one advantage that might give the Lions a leg up.

It’s two advantages, really, and keeping them straight is the tricky part.

Let me introduce you to Brea and Bridget Wenger, twin sisters that play in the front row for coach Stephanie Magnuson’s squad.

Born two minutes apart on March 24, 1990 – Brea at 2:30 a.m. and Bridget at 2:32 – the twins give their team a double dose of just about every aspect of their personalities. Double the smiles, twice the enthusiasm, two times the positive energy.

At a match earlier this season, an easy lob came over the net toward the twins and dropped to the floor directly between them.

“I was shocked,” Magnuson said. “I just looked at them and said, ‘Isn’t there some sort of twin thing you guys have so that doesn’t happen?'”

Sure enough.

Their unspoken bond has shown up often throughout the 2007 season. That’s what made the miscommunication on the ball that dropped so shocking.

“That was just a joke,” Bridget said. “We were just throwing coach off so she wouldn’t expect us to get to every ball every time.”

Brea and Bridget, now seniors, began playing volleyball in fifth grade. Immediately, they fell in love with the sport and have been playing ever since. For the most part, they’ve been on the same team, except as sophomores when Brea played with the JV, and for a brief stint last year when she was asked to join the varsity late in the season.

Even when they’ve been apart, they’ve been able to sense each other at all times.

Throughout the years, the duo has heard just about every cliche in the book regarding twins. But they love it. In fact, they’ve even used it to their advantage, switching spots in Physics class or subbing for each other in Spanish.

On the volleyball court, pulling the switch isn’t as easy. Officials track the rotation and, even if they’re forced to do a double take from time to time, the rules don’t allow Brea or Bridget to switch places.

That’s fine with the Wenger sisters, though, for as much as they enjoy the advantages of being identical twins, they pride themselves on their differences, as minute as they might be.

For starters, the two agree that Brea has a more slender face. That tip can help when trying to tell them apart, but only if they’re standing side by side.

Magnuson usually goes straight for the feet, as the two wear different colored shoes to practice. But again, that’s hardly a foolproof method.

Perhaps the best way to distinguish the two is by looking at their ears. Brea has her ears pierced and Bridget does not. Wait, it gets better. The way they help people remember that is by emphasizing that you can’t spell Brea without the word “ear.” Brilliant!

All jokes aside, the girls have enjoyed every second of playing together on the varsity squad and have taken advantage of every second.

With college right around the corner, and their decision whether to attend the same school still up in the air, the two are keeping their sights fixed on the immediate future.

“We’re just trying to make a memory,” Brea said. “Our goal is to get to state, and we’re going to do everything we can to get there.”