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Greta Schlichter first met Mira Ledermueller at the U14 German Championships. At the time, Schilchter saw Ledermueller as any other opponent on the opposite side of the court.

Throughout the next few years, Schlichter, a libero, and Ledermueller, a setter, grew into nationally-recognized players. In 2019, Schlichter and Ledermueller’s journeys came full circle when they teamed up in the Girls’ European Volleyball Championship. And now, both freshman at Syracuse, the two have developed an inseparable bond.

“(We’ve) become so close, I can’t wish for anything else,” Schlichter said.

Schlichter and Ledermueller trained alongside each other for the first time during selection weekend for Germany’s junior national team. Both were anxious about making the cut. Ledermueller initially didn’t believe she would get picked.

Andreas Renneberg, the assistant coach for the team, and Ledermueller’s club coach in her native Dresden, thought differently. He knew she was a special player “all in a few minutes of seeing her (for the first time).”

“She was able to do everything,” Renneberg said. “And with setting skills we could talk for two hours. She was able to serve from difficult angles where I think it’s not normal at that age to perform like that.”

When Ledermueller was selected, Renneberg remembered how happy she was. He said Ledermueller held the feat of representing Germany with high regard.

“Being on the stage when I was selected, going to the tournaments, I just felt so grateful for that experience,” Ledermueller said. “I thought, ‘Wow, there’s so many people playing volleyball who will never have that opportunity.’”

Schlichter’s selection to the squad helped her realize although she was talented, there was still work to be done. So, she decided to say goodbye to friends and family when she was just 16 years old. Schlichter traveled six hours across Germany, from her hometown of Lathen, to attend VCO Berlin, one of the top volleyball programs in the country.

“She’s always trying to take care of everything, trying to do things right,” said VCO Berlin head coach Manuel Hartmann. “She’s always focused, always the first one in the gym, last one to leave.”

After being selected as members of the junior national team, Schlichter and Ledermueller’s first tournament as teammates was the 2019 Girls’ U16 European Volleyball Championship, held in Italy and Croatia. When the squad traveled, the two lived together. Schlichter said she and Ledermueller were a “good match.”

“That was the point where we got really close because we spent a lot of time together,” Ledermueller said. “It was a vibe, we were on the same wavelength.”

Schlichter remembered she and Ledermueller were put on a different floor from their teammates. She said they were separated because the coaches knew they were mature and could handle being by themselves.

Although Germany placed seventh in the tournament, Ledermueller and Schlichter became friends. They continued to represent the national team and stayed close despite facing each other in future club competitions.

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In 2022, Ledermueller and Schlichter were called up again to play for Germany. But before games began, Ledermueller contracted COVID-19 and was forced to miss the tournament.

The opportunity was one of the last chances the two had to play together before finishing high school. Ledermueller remembered thinking the situation “couldn’t get any worse.” Then, the two realized they were both being recruited by Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam.

Once Ledermueller found out, she FaceTimed Schlichter, unable to contain the excitement of attending the same university together.

“At first I didn’t know about it, but then coach Bake told me a few weeks before I committed,” Schlichter said. “I was really excited about it. I think it can become a big, lifetime friendship being (at Syracuse) together.”

Published on October 19, 2023 at 12:35 am