University of Tennessee Athletics
THE SWIBAS SISTERS ARE DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR LADY VOL OPPONENTS
October 04, 2001 | Soccer
Oct. 4, 2001
By Justin Gallagher
After finishing their respective senior years at Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, Colo., in 2000, twins Carie and Tracy Swibas planned to play soccer at different universities. In the end, they knew the tremendous relationship they had built on and off the field couldn't be divided, so they chose to don the Tennessee orange.
"Originally, we wanted to go to separate schools," said Carie. "However, when we visited Tennessee and several other places, we realized we had to go together."
"She's my best friend," Tracy added. "We do everything and she's always there. When we first came to Knoxville, we were homesick. For me, having Carie around made things better." What made the decision to come to UT easier was that the new Lady Vol head soccer coach, Angela Kelly, had previous championship experience as a four-time NCAA winner at North Carolina and was leading the Lady Vols in that same direction.
"We knew that we'd be pushed to another level here," explained Tracy. "It was the start of a new program, and we wanted to contribute to make it better."
Kelly knows the team wouldn't be the same if the twins had chosen another school.
"They're just so smart in the back," said the second-year UT head coach, praising the all-around effort that the duo gives at every practice and each game. "They've literally kept us in almost every game we've played."
Carie, a defender and midfielder, joins Tracy and freshman Lindsey Wiest on defense to provide experience and depth to the 16th-ranked Lady Vol soccer team. Both players came on strong as freshmen in 2000. Tracy became only the third Tennessee soccer player to start all of the team's matches as a rookie.
Not long after that, Carie became a permanent addition to UT's starting lineup, and finished with two assists after starting the final 11 games of the 2000 season. Her squad was a program-best 7-2 in conference play and tied the school record with 12 victories. The tandem has started the first seven matches of the 2001 season.
While playing defense won't mean much - if sometimes any - recognition in the box score, the duties are still vital to the team's chances of a victory.
"Offense wins games and defense wins championships," said Carie. "You don't get recognized very much back there, but if you do your job then you win the game."
Tracy said playing defender in soccer isn't just about conditioning and footwork, but a specific mind-set is needed as well.
"It's definitely a special type of mentality," said Tracy. "It's one-on-one, with you and the person with the ball. That's your goal for the game: to never let the ball in the net."
The Swibas duo acquired their love for soccer at the early of age of seven. Over the past 12 years, they've developed an undeniable chemistry on the soccer field.
"It's like a twin thing," Carie said of the on-the-field chemistry she has with her sister. "People ask us if we know what each other's thinking. I think on the field - sort of to an extent - we know what each other's thinking. We can play well together on the field without communicating." That defensive mentality was apparent at the outset of the 2001 season. The Lady Vols opened their season with an impressive 2-1 win at Brigham Young, a team rated No. 13 at the time. The win marked the first time that UT had defeated a ranked opponent on the road. In fact, the Lady Vols defense held the Cougars' leading scorer, All-American Aleisha Cramer, without a goal.
For Carie, the victory in Provo against BYU was her favorite so far as a Lady Vol.
"We realized how much better we are this year and how we knew we were going to continue to improve," she said. "It was good to know that in our first game, we started off the new season that strong."
A few weeks after the victory over BYU, the Lady Vols were put to the test when top-ranked North Carolina came to Knoxville on Sept. 26. Although the Tar Heels won the match, 5-2, UT was the first team all season to notch a goal against UNC. Tracy realizes that a young Lady Vol team will be better the next time the two teams face each other.
"It was a rush," Tracy said of playing the No. 1 team in the nation at home. "I felt that during in the first half we were intimidated, and that showed in our play. While Carolina is very good, I think comparing our efforts last year to this year showed a rapid improvement. We know we can play with them. I wish we had another chance this season before the NCAAs to play them."
The Orange and White enters Southeastern Conference play this week with trips to Auburn and Alabama, and Tracy knows the Lady Vols will need to remain focused to accomplish their goals in the conference.
"Our attention is on Auburn," noted Tracy. "We need to concentrate on this game and come out with everything we have."
Carie agreed with her twin sister, and she knows that the Lady Vols' road to winning the SEC title starts in Auburn.
"Team-wise, we want to improve as an entire unit - both offensively and defensively," Carie said. "I know that we're trying to improve our defensive pressure as a team. Once we get all of those things down, that's when we can be able to beat North Carolina and other top teams. I definitely like being the underdog."
