The story goes like this: Twins don’t need to speak to know what the other is thinking. Sometimes one twin will know when something has happened to the other twin. In short, a sort of other-worldly connection is perceived to exist between twins.
What about for Raleigh natives Allison and Lauren Barry, senior twins on the N.C. State women’s tennis team — is there truth to the stories?
Women’s tennis head coach Hans Olsen said he has seen some evidence.
“We did a mile-run the other day,” Olsen said. “They ended up in different groups, so they were running at different times. They ended up with the exact same time. There’s no way they could plan that down to the second, but they did it.
“When you’re talking to them, a lot of times they’ll both answer the same thing at exactly the same time,” he said. “So yeah, I think there is something to it.”
Lauren and Allison said they don’t disagree, either.
“There is some truth, sure,” Lauren said. “We’ve spent our whole lives together. We’ve always played together; we’ve always been on the court together. I’ve got a sense of where she is at all times, so we don’t have to communicate all the time. It’s a nice advantage.”
The Barry twins started playing together when they were five years old. Seventeen years later, they’re still going strong.
“It kind of grew from a family sport,” Allison said. “We played with our older brother and sister. We just continued and found our own love for it was stronger, so we pursued it. We played doubles together, and it just grew from there. We always had someone to hit with and work on strategies and stuff.”
“It’s good to know that you always have someone in your corner,” she said. “There are some things I never have to explain to Lauren. She just understands where I’m coming from when I get off the court, and she knows what I need to hear. It’s something we’ve built up between us as our own kind of support system.”
As seniors, they said they try to be part of the support system for the younger players on the team, too.
“We try to lead by example,” Lauren said. “We encourage everyone a lot. We try to show that you have to keep it up and keep going and leave it all out there every day. Off the court, anytime anyone on the team needs anything, we’re always there. We’re a very close team.”
Allison, the older sibling by 13 minutes, echoed her sister.
“Leading by example is one of the better leadership styles because it allows everyone to have their own personalities, and it doesn’t take away from what they’ve brought to the team,” Allison said. “It allows you to motivate and try to do something that would inspire someone else.”
While Allison and Lauren may look identical to passers-by, Lauren said their on-court styles are very different.
“Allison is a little bit more aggressive,” Lauren said. “She’s rough-and-tough, try to get the point over with and move on. I’m a little more patient and laid-back. If the rally goes a few more shots, I like it better. I can get into a groove and wait for the right attacking moment.”
Lauren said those differences extend into life beyond tennis, too.
“Allie is the aggressive one, but in a good way,” Lauren laughed. “I have the same aggressiveness, but it’s more quiet aggressiveness.”
Olsen said their styles complement each other. Add that to the unspoken bond, and Olsen said Allison and Lauren make for a tough doubles match-up.
“When they play doubles together, there’s a non-verbal communication where they just seem to know where each other are, and you can definitely sense that,” Olsen said. “Whenever a team steps out on the doubles court and sees twins across from them, there is a little bit of an ‘uh-oh’ factor. The ‘twins’ thing can get into their opponents’ head a little bit. They work well together without necessarily saying anything.”
With players like Allison and Lauren on the team, leading and helping bring in recruits, Olsen said the future of Wolfpack women’s tennis is bright.
“Allie and Lauren have been a huge part in the resurgence of women’s tennis at N.C. State,” he said. “I cannot overstate the importance of their key roles in where we’ve come to and where we’re going in their last year here. They are a very important part of what’s going to happen here and what has happened up to this point.”
The Barry twins said they are glad to have had the opportunity to play at such a high level.
“Playing in college was always a goal,” Allison said. “We worked on it as we grew up, and just being here and playing these last three years has been perfect.”
