Carly and Meredith Morrow shared a lot as they grew up together in Chattanooga, Tenn. As sisters, they spent plenty of time together. But even when Carly left for college in 2007, they were never too distant.

Now, they share the same campus – and the blue and white.

Carly is a senior shooting guard who has started 12 games this season for the women’s basketball team. Meredith is a freshman on the women’s tennis squad. Their competitiveness can still be found on their respective courts, even if they didn’t feel any sibling rivalry growing up together.

Carly gave up tennis early on, because she didn’t want to wear a skirt and enjoyed the physicality of basketball and soccer more. Similarly, Meredith dropped soccer when she made it to middle school. The season conflicted with tennis, and she wasn’t wild about contact sports anyway.

They still play tennis against each other every once in a while – with predictable results. Meredith creamed Carly the last time they faced off. Most of the time, they work together during training for their respective sports.

“We’re more competitive with stuff outside of sports, with something like grades,” Meredith said.

As they got older, they became closer. Their age difference kept them from becoming too competitive earlier in life. Now that they’re both in college, they’re playing for the same team – even if it is in two different sports.

Meredith might not have even considered UK if not for Carly. As her older sister was carving a role for herself as a sharpshooter on the hardwood, Meredith and her family would make the four-hour drive from Chattanooga for nearly all of Carly’s home games. That was her first exposure to the school. Carly tried to be cautious about talking to her sister about college choices, though.

“I wanted it to be her decision,” Carly said. “I definitely put Kentucky’s best foot forward whenever I talked about it, but in the end I wanted her to have her own college experience because mine had been so great. Even outside of basketball, with the friends and the community I found myself in. I definitely wanted her to have that same experience, but I didn’t want her to be coming here just to hang out with me.”

Carly will be able to return the favor now that tennis season has begun, and said she’ll try and make it to as many matches as she can between classes and basketball. Meredith is one of six freshmen on the 11-member women’s tennis team. It’s also much easier for her to make it to her big sister’s basketball games now, of course.

That’s good news for Meredith, who knows just how big of an impact her relationship with her sister had on her decision.

“I wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t here,” Meredith said. “Our family didn’t know much about Kentucky at all until she started being recruited.

“And then after coming up here weekly during basketball season three years in a row, it really became my second home. We were here all the time, and I fell in love with the school.”