Century volleyball coach Becky Trumbo wonders whether she'll get a hug from her kid brother, Bryan, tonight.
It happened the last time their teams played.
Becky, 26, was coaching her first season at Century last year, and Bryan, 23, was doing the same at Liberty as their teams were set to play each other.
As the coaches and captains met with officials, Becky extended her hand for a routine handshake. Instead, Bryan reeled her in for a big brotherly hug.
Gamesmanship?
Bryan said he was just trying to be funny, but it was Becky who had the last laugh.
Her Knights went on to upset the Lions in a five-game thriller -- only the second time Century had defeated perennial state power Liberty in volleyball since the school opened in 2000. With that, a rivalry was forged between the two Carroll County schools that are separated by a 10-minute stretch of Route 26.
The teams, and the Trumbos, will battle for this year's bragging rights at 6:15 tonight when Century visits Liberty. The No.7 Knights take a 6-0 record into the match, while the No. 13 Lions are 5-2. Both teams are 2-0 in Carroll County play, so the outcome could go a long way in determining the county champion.
So, Bryan, what about a hug this time?
"I'm very superstitious, very superstitious," he said. "We lost when I hugged her last year, so there's definitely not going to be one this time."
The Trumbos' sibling rivalry goes way back.
Growing up, it was lacrosse in the backyard, soccer in the basement and anything else they could find to generate competition. Bryan contends that Becky used to change the rules in the middle of a game when it became apparent she would lose. Becky remembers Bryan chucking a domino at her after she won a close game.
"Board games? They can't even play those anymore," said their father, Dave Trumbo, who coached volleyball at Liberty and guided the Lions to two state titles and eight county championships.
Said Becky: "It was great because we always had a playmate right there. It was always a competition, and we always got better in our sports from playing against each other. But, yeah, things could get very extreme."
When Bryan arrived at Liberty as a freshman in 2002, he was tagged "Becky's little brother." Becky was already a three-sport standout, excelling in volleyball and basketball but mostly lacrosse. She was named a high school All-American in lacrosse and earned a full scholarship to Towson University, where she left owning most of the program's scoring records.
It proved a tough act to follow for Bryan.
After playing three years in goal for the Liberty lacrosse team, he followed Becky to Towson, where he cheered on his sister and focused on academics. He finished with a 4.0 grade-point average to one-up Becky (she had a 3.8 GPA) and was the commencement speaker at graduation.
"He beat me academically in college, and I hear it all the time," Becky laughs. "So I tell him, 'You know Bryan, I was playing Division I lacrosse and you were doing nothing else.'"
As for coaching, the two -- both also are physical education teachers -- are cut from the same cloth. But you can't tell on the outside.
From their father, now women's volleyball coach at Stevenson University, they learned to run precise, organized practices and motivate their players with positive encouragement, and developed a knack for winning. When he watches one of their practices, Dave sometimes feels as if it's his own -- right down to watching Bryan check his watch as the team runs through drills.
On the sideline is where things look different.
Becky, calm and collected, usually stands in one place, her arms sometimes folded and other times on her hips. She'll applaud after a good point and provide clear instructions during team huddles when guidance is needed.
"She's really calm and keeps things really positive and makes you feel confident in your ability to play," said Allie Reed, the team's senior setter.
Then there's Bryan, wearing bright yellow shorts and a blue shirt to proudly display the Liberty colors. He's exuberant and in constant motion. He jumps out of his chair for every big point, and each player who returns to the bench during substitutions is greeted with a jumping high-five.
"I'm literally like 2 feet off the ground after a big point," he says. "I feel like volleyball is such a game of momentum and if you're the team that is more up and into the game, you're going to win."
The Lions bank on the energy.
"His enthusiasm is really huge for us," senior middle hitter Kelsey Middleton said. "When we see Bryan on the sideline jumping up and down and getting excited about the smallest things, the effect it has on our team is immeasurable. It's how we get pumped up."
So Becky likes to act as if she's been there before -- celebrating comes at the end of matches when the job is completed. And Bryan believes the enthusiasm helps get you there.
Come tonight, only one Trumbo will go home happy.
"Bryan and I have always been very close, and in a lot of ways, we are very similar because we are so competitive," Becky said. "So we really do want to see each other do well -- just not when we're against each other. But we do love each other a lot."
glenn.graham@baltsun.com