Fellows sisters have strong bond on and off the court

The sister act that develops whenever the Great Falls High girls’ tennis team takes the court this spring is no comedy.

For Bison senior Libbey Fellows and her sophomore sibling Stephaney, it’s serious business. Especially when big sis is giving some friendly advice to little sis.

“Sometimes she yells at me on the court,” Stephaney said, “and the other girls look at me and they’re like, ‘Are you OK?’ But I’m like, yes.”

Then Stephaney grinned.

“Because we’re sisters,” she said.

They’re also a doubles team with just three losses on the year. The duo played well this weekend as the Great Falls Invitational meet unfolded at various venues in the Electric City.

“They’re vicious,” said Bison head coach Jan Dodds with a chuckle. “They’re very aggressive and really good. And they play well together.”

Kids from the same family playing nicely together? Hmmm.

“Sisters don’t usually get along in tennis,” Dodds smiled. “But these two seem to really play well off each other. They’re doing a great job.”

Their mother, Pam Fellows, laughed when asked about it.

“If anybody can put up with Libbey it’s Stephaney. And vice versa,” Pam said. “This is not as intense as Libbey has made volleyball. But they’re having fun. It’s a fun program. And they enjoy it. So we’re having fun with it.”

Said Stephanie: “We have a really strong bond on and off the court. Libbey’s really funny. And she’s a really good role model.”

Does that mean the tennis partnership is a democracy?

“Most of the time,” Stephaney said with a smile.

Sibling teammates are not unusual in sports. But teams within teams? If seems as if poor performances, or even hard feelings, might linger in the memory after the match is over. Say at the dinner table.

“No. We have to let it go,” Stephaney said.

Why?

“Because our dad tells us we have to,” she said.

The girls’ father is Mark Fellows, the Choteau native and former Montana State Bobcat All-American defensive end. Mark was among the best players in the Big Sky Conference when the Cats won the national championship in 1984, setting a league record that still stands with 23 quarterback sacks.

He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers and to this day is regarded as among the most rugged MSU football players ever.

Mark Fellows is also extremely soft-spoken.

“He gives the best advice,” Stephaney said. “He’s helped all of us, and (older brother) Quest, too. When we have bad practices and come home complaining he’s like, you’ll be fine. It’s OK.”

Libbey, who recently committed to accepting a volleyball scholarship from Montana State, said her pop is a contradiction all right.

“He doesn’t come off as like the badass football player,” Libbey smiled. “All of my friends think he’s so nice.”

She was told that opposing Big Sky Conference quarterbacks and running backs had a different view of her father back in the day.

“He’s humble about everything,” Libbey said. “A lot of my friends ask him about that and stuff. And he totally changes the subject.”

The girls’ mother, Pam, taught tennis at Choteau before the family moved to Great Falls.

“We would not be near the athletes we are without my dad or my mother,” Libbey said.

She’s an exceptional volleyball player and highly competitive. High school tennis, on the other hand, is a bit of a laid-back sport. So how does that work?

“Volleyball has always been a super serious sport for me, and tennis is much more of a relaxed activity,” Libbey said. “It’s different girls and it’s just always been fun.”

That’s important to their folks. Perhaps even moreso than the pursuit of a championship.

“Mark keeps everybody humble,” Pam said. “You know Mark. He’s rough and tough. And he wants the girls to be mentally tough. But he also wants them to have a good time.”

When Pam, a Livingston native who played basketball and tennis at Park High, first met Mark, she didn’t really know much about his football exploits. If it were left up to him she never would.

“He’s really quiet about that,” she said. “That’s in the past. We’re moving toward the future and that’s about our kids. That’s just the way Mark is. He loves competition. But he’s also trying to raise nice kids.”

The sisters have rarely lost this year.

“I hope we make it to state, I really do,” Libbey said.

But in a few weeks, her focus will switch completely to volleyball. In fact, the girls are still playing club volleyball most weekends. Stephanie is a setter while Libbey, a Class AA second-team All-Stater last fall for the Bison, played outside hitter.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to go to Montana State,” Libbey said.

When reminded that Bozeman is where her father earned so much fame on the football field, and where the Fellows name is still held in high esteem among Bobcat sports fans, Libbey paused for a second.

“I’ve always wanted to go there,” she said. “I guess it’s a way to make my Dad proud, you could say.”