This past season, the Marist Volleyball roster featured two familiar surnames: Kasperski and Owens.
Setter Kaitlyn Owens and libero Claudia Kasperski may have entered this season as freshmen, but it was far from their first experiences at Marist College.
Their older sisters, Morgan Owens and Courtney Kasperski, each played volleyball at Marist, overlapping as teammates for three seasons from 2018 to 2020-21.
Courtney Kasperski, a defensive specialist who graduated in 2021, spent her last two years at Marist playing for current head coach Sean Byron. In her 246 sets played over four seasons, Kasperski dug 442 attacks and served 34 aces.
Morgan Owens, two years younger, spent five years at Marist, with her final four coming with Byron at the helm. In her half-decade as a Red Fox, Owens proved to be a staple of the Marist defense, with the majority of her time spent as the team’s libero. Owens left her mark on the program, where she sits in the top ten for digs in a game, season and career as a Red Fox.
Despite their older sisters sharing the court for a few seasons, Kaitlyn Owens and Claudia Kasperski never really got to know each other, as they only met in passing after games.
“We never talked to each other… we just looked at each other like ‘hey’,” said Kaitlyn Owens.
“It was just a glare,” said Claudia Kasperski, laughing.
The two didn’t even know they were the same age, and the thought of possibly becoming teammates never crossed their minds.
The elder Owens and Kasperski sisters were beneficial to their younger sisters when it came time for them to consider attending Marist.
“I think a lot of it is, I think [Courtney and Morgan] both had positive experiences,” said Byron. “They both liked the school, they both liked the direction that the program was going.”
Had either of them not had the best experience at Marist or playing for Byron, they likely would not have been too supportive of their younger sister heading down the same path.
“If you didn’t have a good experience or it was bad, you would hopefully steer them away,” said Byron.
Morgan and Courtney both enjoyed their time in Poughkeepsie but did not try too hard to sway their sisters during their recruiting process.
“Honestly, my sister didn’t really push Marist that much. She just kind of gave me insight about school, but she never really was like, ‘Hey, you really should come here, I think this is the best option for you,’” said Kaitlyn Owens. “She really let me do my life journey, which in my opinion was nice.”
“I was there to help, but I definitely wanted it to be her journey to experience, and I didn’t want to influence her decisions too much,” said her older sister, Morgan Owens.
For Claudia Kasperski, the idea of playing at Marist was presented to her as an underclassman in high school. After some of her sister’s games at McCann Arena, she often passed a volleyball back and forth with her dad. It caught Byron’s attention, and he used it as a way to remind Kasperski of her potential future at Marist.
“I don’t know if it was a very formal thing, but I would definitely talk to Sean [Byron] after games sometimes… he would almost just be like ‘Oh, keep in mind this could be you if you come to Marist’,” said Claudia Kasperski.
Throughout her recruitment, Courtney shared advice and many of her experiences with Claudia, giving her a first-hand account of what her time at Marist could be like, something that other colleges could not exactly offer. When it came time to pick where she would attend school, her extensive knowledge of Marist made the school immediately stand out. She had the chance to see what the school was like from her sister’s point of view, on the court, in the classroom, and on campus.
“I feel like I was a lot more comfortable with this school than any other school that I visited. And also just like knowing the distance and knowing I’d be able to be with my family a lot too,” said Claudia Kasperski.
Kaitlyn Owens’ followed a similar path to Marist, but the school remained at the top of her list throughout her recruiting journey. Owens participated in Marist’s summer camp for recruits, a good way for her to get herself involved in the program early on.
“The summer camp component of it was really nice because we got to work with Kaitlyn,” said Byron. “She got to really be coached by us instead of just seeing us in matches… I thought that was a big plus.”
As a Red Fox, Kaitlyn Owens has massive shoes to fill due to her namesake. Her sister, Morgan, played five years at Marist as the team’s primary libero. Her name is littered throughout the Marist Volleyball record book, where she ranks fifth in program history in digs (1,394), fourth in digs in a season (506) and tied for sixth in most digs in a match (32).
Photo from Morgan Owens
Playing a different position has taken some pressure off, and the freshmen setter played a key role when junior setter Claire Lewis missed six matches due to injury. With Lewis in the lineup, Kaitlyn Owens often saw action as a pinch-server, a role she performed well in. In her rookie campaign, she served 15 aces in 21 matches.
While Morgan Owens was known for her stellar play on the court during her time at Marist, she also excelled as a leader. In Byron’s first year as the school’s head coach, he named Owens, who was only a sophomore at the time, one of three captains. She retained the role throughout the rest of her Marist career, holding a share of captaincy for a rare four years. Kaitlyn Owens hopes to follow in her older sister’s footsteps at some point.
“I think that is just very influential and shows the person that she is, and that’s very inspiring for me… I don’t see myself doing that next year, but maybe my junior or senior year that can really be a stepping stone for me,” said Kaitlyn Owens.
Becoming captain is a role that her older sister, Morgan, can see her stepping into at some point.
“She’s always been a natural leader on the court, even when she was little and learning how to play, she was the one player you could rely on to know what was going on, and that developed even more as she grew more experienced,” said Morgan Owens.
Fighting for playing time in a crowded libero room, Claudia Kasperski played in three matches this year, her best coming at Siena where she recorded an ace and assist in the 3-0 win in Loudonville. A constant throughout the season was her family, who attended most home games.
“I’m not going to lie, sitting in the stands and not being on the court is really hard. But, seeing Claudia out there is so special to me, I couldn’t be more proud of her!” said Courtney Kasperski.
Just a few short years ago, Claudia was the one in the stands, watching her sister play on the McCann Arena floor. Now, the fandom is flipped.
“It’s just kind of funny because at first I was seen as ‘Courtney’s little sister,’ but now it’s like, she’s Claudia’s sister,” said Claudia Kasperski.
The roles may be reversed, but despite being six years apart in age, the Kasperski sisters do share a few teammates. When Courtney was a senior, the freshman class featured players such as outside hitters Jordan Newblatt and Sasha van der Merwe. Now, with Claudia as a freshman, that class of Red Foxes are seniors.
“The senior class is a great group of girls and it was really cool for me to see how much they have all grown, both as people and as players,” said Courtney Kasperski.
Coming back to Marist to see her younger sister begin her career as a Red Fox has also allowed Courtney Kasperski to catch up with a few of her former teammates.
“It’s funny to see everyone know each other,” said Claudia Kasperski.
The same goes for the Owens sisters, as with Morgan departing just last year, Kaitlyn had the opportunity to play with 12 of the same Red Foxes that her sister did. Yet another connection the two share is assistant coach McKinley Fox.
Fox came to Marist in the same freshman class as Morgan Owens. Of those five freshman, Fox and Owens remained the only two who used all five years of their eligibility at Marist. In their time at the school, the two developed a very strong friendship on and off the court.
This past season, Fox shifted roles, transitioning to one of three assistant coaches on Byron’s staff. During her career, Fox played setter and racked up 2,957 assists, good for the fourth most in the program’s history.
Being a setter, Kaitlyn Owens has worked extensively with Fox, for good reason. Their connection has been one that Morgan Owens has enjoyed seeing from afar.
“It’s been awesome getting to see her bond with not only my former teammates but my best friend as well. She’s had the opportunity to learn from McKinley Fox, one of the best setters the MAAC has ever had, and I am beyond ecstatic to see her continue to make a name for herself and lots of friends along the way,” said Morgan Owens.
Claudia Kasperski and Kaitlyn Owens effectively bridge Byron’s early days leading the Marist program to the present and future, where they showcase the family aspect that comes with being a Red Fox. Byron has never recruited siblings in the past and says he doesn’t exactly plan on doing so again but would keep the door open. He believes it ultimately shows a strong message about the program, one of family.
“That [family] is one of our core values. But I also think that it’s a testament that the program is doing the right things that they feel comfortable letting siblings go,” said Byron.
Owens and Kasperski have a long way ahead of them in their careers at Marist and hope to be a part of the first group of Red Foxes to win a MAAC Championship. After all, doing so would earn them some serious family bragging rights.
Edited by Luke Sassa and Danny Destler
Graphic Credit: Jaylen Rizzo, Photos from Marist Athletics
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X and TikTok, and sign up to receive daily alerts here.
