Playing volleyball at USI has been a family affair for twin sisters Jillian and Maeve Moonan of the Mount Greenwood neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, with a front row seat for their older brother, Connell Moonan, who serves as a student manager for their team.
All three Moonan siblings played volleyball in high school but at different schools. They say spending the past four years together at USI has been a positive experience. “At first, I thought being around my sisters might be a conflict of interest," says Connell. "However, it has been amazing. We have grown closer and learned more about each other.”
The twins paved the way for their older brother to become a USI student and part of the volleyball team when he told them the school he was attending “wasn’t the right fit.” He says, “They suggested I transfer to USI. The one thing missing in my life was volleyball, and USI was the perfect place for me to continue doing what I love.”
Growing up, Connell played almost every sport that was offered, including basketball, baseball and soccer. In high school, he played volleyball at St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago.
His sisters played volleyball at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, an all-girls Catholic high school in their neighborhood. The most memorable moment they shared as teammates there was winning the Illinois High School Association Class 4A State Championship their senior year.
In addition to sharing a love of volleyball with their brother, Jillian and Maeve say that being sisters gives them an advantage in the sport. “Playing together seems effortless because we are always on the same page,” says Maeve. “We are able to connect on the block together, and she is my built-in pepper partner for warmups.”
Maeve says adjusting to college life as a student-athlete was easy with her sister by her side. “Jill and I are very similar in specific ways because we share a room, share clothes, have the same friends, have the same interests and play the same sport together,” she says. “But we do have different personalities; Jill is very calm and goes with the flow, while I am apprehensive and more of a planner.”
The siblings who play volleyball together will also graduate together in May 2027, along with their brother, and all three have chosen careers in which they will directly help others. Maeve is studying elementary education, Jillian has just started her last year in the Coudret Nursing Program, and Connell is a mathematics teaching major with a minor in secondary education.
Both sisters are proud of their accomplishments during their time at USI: Jillian for returning to the court after an ACL injury and being selected captain this year, all while keeping her grades up in the Nursing Program; Maeve for being a student-athlete with a perfect 4.0 GPA in her education studies.
As for their brother, he says, “I am most proud of persevering in being a math major at USI combined with having a big role in a Division I volleyball program. Mathematics is one of the hardest college majors, and to do it along with a sport is not an easy task. I am grateful for both experiences.”
Jillian concurs that athletic involvement has allowed her and her siblings to look at life with a different lens. “I am more appreciative of my place in life, and I know how important it is to pursue your dreams—both academic and athletic,” says Jillian. “It has made me very humble and a hard worker. Every day is a new challenge, and I put 100% into both my academic and athletic success.”
Her advice for high schoolers considering playing college sports? “I would tell high school students to keep working hard and be open to new opportunities,” she says. “I didn’t start club volleyball until I was a freshman in high school, and I started playing a new position after my freshman year. Continue to be yourself and never lose the love for the game.”