Miah and Amelia Scarchilli are inseparable. They are thicker than thick. While sisters, they describe each other as their best friend.
On the volleyball court, they know each other better than anyone.
To Miah, Amelia is serious and hard working, a utility tool for any team she is a part of with defensive prowess.
To Amelia, Miah is a leader and an example on and off the court. She pushes others to be better, but not to push others over the edge.
To the sisters, both know how much of an impact the other one can have on the volleyball court, something North Farmington did not get to see during the 2019 season after the pair transferred from Novi Christian Academy.
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Now, heading into 2020, the Scarchillis — Amelia as a junior and Miah as a senior — have high expectations for themselves, for their teammates and for each other, despite the uncertainty of whether a season will actually happen due to the coronavirus.
Adapting in time off the court
To the pair, 2019 was frustrating.
Miah and Amelia Scarchilli arrived at North Farmington in January, working with the team from its first open gyms in April and May with hopes of playing in the fall.
However, Michigan High School Athletic Association transfer rules kept the pair off the court.
According to the MHSAA, a student is not eligible for a sport played in the previous season at their old school for the first year after transferring. The Scarchilli sisters were permitted to play any other fall season sport at North Farmington other than volleyball.
Both were just looking for a better opportunity to show what they could do on the volleyball court.
As a 5-foot-4 setter, Miah Scarchilli was viewed as one of the best hitters at Novi Christian, saying that transferring allows her to be a part of an atmosphere that took the sport more seriously, that gave her a path to the next level.
Mike Love noticed both Miah and Amelia Scarchilli from the moment he started working with the team prior to his first season as the Raiders head coach.
He saw the skill. He saw their promise.
But the ruling did not favor the sisters.
“I pushed for them and pushed for them, but we got denied from the MHSAA for that,” Love said. “It was kind of a bummer for two great athletes to sit out their sophomore and junior year when they are definitely collegiate volleyball players.”
Instead of sitting in the “what could have been” mentality, Love chose to focus on the positives: there is a reason behind every decision.
Instead of proving themselves on the court, both Miah and Amelia, while sidelined, secured their leadership on the team first, initiating themselves basically, they described, as assistant coaches.
The pair helped with team drills, pitching and serving balls, working with teammates on what to improve on based on what they saw in action or on film.
“It was my big thing, helping girls if they don’t know what went wrong, they would always come up to me and be like, ‘What did I do? What am I doing wrong?’” Miah Scarchilli said. “I would always help them and show them. It made me feel like I was doing something for the team. It’s probably a big thing that got me through sitting out.”
Despite being an underclassman, Amelia Scarchilli said none of her teammates took offense to her notes, instead viewing it as the start of a bond they made with the team as a whole.
And it’s a bond that continued to mold even before she got eligibility for her junior season.
“The girls, they are just, they are great,” Amelia Scarchilli said. “We are all like a family. We’re super close, and even though I haven't been playing with them long, I felt close to them already.”
Anticipating 2020
Heading into 2020, Love knows he has something that many teams don’t have.
On his roster, he has two sisters close in age, one a setter and the other a libero — the ideal combination, if you asked the North Farmington head coach.
Love knows the connection Miah and Amelia Scarchilli have because he had a similar experience in high school.
“When me and my brother were in high school — I was a sophomore, he was a freshman — I played quarterback and he played receiver,” Love said. “I knew his weaknesses and knew his strengths, so when I was going to throw him the ball or if I knew I needed a big play made, even though we knew we had other great athletes, I knew who I could count on, who I could depend on.
“It’s kind of the same thing I see in them that I saw with me and my brother.”
That expectation for a strong connection did not only come from the head coach, but from the rest of the program too.
“When I came to the school, a lot of people were talking like, ‘Oh, there’s new sisters. They play volleyball,’” Miah Scarchilli said. “I just kind of want to live up to people’s expectations of me, being good and my team relying on me.”
However, Miah and Amelia are still not sure they will get the chance.
While Amelia will have one season either way to show what she can do for the Raiders, Miah waits for a decision on her fate, to see if she will get a chance to play at North Farmington.
Both are keeping a positive mindset about it, though, preparing for what could be.
The Scarchilli sisters know what their bond can bring to North Farmington: a solidifying defense and an unspoken communication on the floor that will put hitters in a position to thrive.
Both will be together, even though, with how close they are in age, they have been compared to each other their whole life.
“We’ve always grown up, always been head-to-head,” Miah Scarchilli said. “Everyone is like, ‘Who’s better?’ We’re like we just genuinely don’t know.”
They don’t know because they know each of their strengths and weaknesses, and how to use each for the betterment of the team.
The Scarchilli sisters are inseparable. They are thicker than thick. And they hope North Farmington will get a chance to see that in action in 2020.
“She’s not my sister, she’s my best friend,” Amelia Scarchilli said.
Contact reporter Colin Gay at cgay@hometownlife.com or 248-330-6710. Follow him on Twitter @ColinGay17. Send game results and stats to Liv-Sports@hometownlife.com.
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