It was late in the evening at FHC’s football stadium when freshman Maggie Moog heard from in front of her: “Libby, when did you get braces?” 

It’s obvious from first glance, that Maggie and her older sister, senior Libby Moog, look like identical twins. For as long as Maggie can remember, people have confused her for her athletic and competitive sibling to the point where it’s normal for them to be compared. 

Not only do the two girls look alike, but they also release stress and find happiness through the same sport: tennis. Maggie has been playing since she was seven, and it’s been one of the only constants in her life since. Though her sister and she started at different ages, they’re both tennis stars. 

While the main lockdown due to COVID-19 put a damper on Maggie’s normal tennis schedule, when the world started to open up again, she slowly got back into the rhythm of pursuing tennis full time. During this past summer, Maggie and Libby attended a camp at Calvin University’s courts where they made up for lost time. But unfortunately, both girls being exceptional at tennis makes for yet another thing that Maggie gets compared to her sister with. 

“People say to me a lot, ‘Oh my gosh, you look just like Libby,’” Maggie said. “I also get called ‘little Libby,’ but the thing is, I have a name.”

While a lot of kids here know Maggie as “Libby’s little sister,” Maggie knows she is much more than just that. Someone who has really helped her to realize this is her dad. Coach for FHC’s girls’ varsity tennis team, Jeremy Moog doesn’t expect Maggie to play like her sister—he expects her to do her personal best.

“Libby’s skill level, when she was my age, was definitely more advanced,” Maggie said, “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, I’ll never be able to [get to my sister’s level].’ People in my grade expect me to play [on the varsity team] because everyone knows I’ve been playing tennis for a while—they expect me to be ‘the next Libby.’ But while my dad has expectations for tennis, he’s always just wanted us to simply play the way we play.”

While Libby has been playing varsity tennis since her freshman year, Maggie has been there to watch her older sister’s entire experience on the team. Since 6th grade, Maggie has watched Libby at tournaments and matches, which sparked something inside of her.

“I’m really excited for the season,” Maggie beamed. “I’m excited to get the opportunity to travel to different places for weekend tournaments, as well as staying in the hotels. When I was younger, I saw the way that Libby was on the team with other people, and they were so nice and friendly. So I’m also excited to meet other people in the grades above me, such as kids in Libby’s class, juniors, and sophomores.”

Being a freshman means that the high school experience is all new to Maggie—not only her classes and the building itself, but playing for a competitive team is brand new as well. While Maggie has always been ranked number one in the middle school mixed team, varsity will pose a chance to actually be challenged in her skill set.

While she’s never played in a tournament, Maggie looks forward to being able to do all the things she’s grown up seeing her sister do. Maggie doesn’t want to follow in her sister’s footsteps completely, but it is nice that she has a built-in best friend to share her experiences with.

“My sister and I got really close when I was at the end of seventh grade,” Maggie explained. “We used to fight a lot, and we were very aggressive towards each other. Libby and I would always argue about who got to sit in the front seat of the car—we always picked fights for no reason. But when I got to the end of seventh grade, we started to understand each other more; I matured a lot because, before, I didn’t know how to act.”

Maggie has had a lot of time to not only mature mentally, but also in her tennis game and strategy. Often, she is asked by coaches if she thinks she can take her sister in a match, and her response is usually, “I don’t know.” 

It’s hard to compare the girls’ skill sets when they’ve had slightly different experiences, lessons, opportunities, and not to mention: the three year age gap. While it’s been annoying to be compared to her sister throughout the majority of her life, Maggie knows she is still an individual and is unique, but she can also find joy in something that both her and her sister enjoy.

“When people come up to me, that’s all they say: ‘You’re just like your older sister,’” Maggie said, “It genuinely made me start to think that that’s all I am: ‘little Libby.’ But no, I’m Maggie.”