From the outside looking in it may seem unique to be the only set of triplets in your school.
However the O’Neal sisters – Vanessa, Christina, and Tiffany – it is completely normal. After all, what else do they know?
“I don’t feel very unique,” said Vanessa (center above).
“It’s just the same as having siblings,” adds Tiffany (left).
“But also if you think about it, a lot of kids are alone, We’re not,” said Christina (right).
Again, “for us it’s normal,” said Christina. “We just experience everything together. If I think about just being ‘a normal kid’ it makes me sad.”
While it is easy to connect Christina and Vanessa, it is not difficult to overlook Tiffany.
“I’m a little bit different,” said Tiffany, who is often not associated as a triplet due to not being identical. “I’ve changed schools before and had to find friends, or find somewhere to sit, but when they’re here, they’re my sisters so I don’t have to worry about it.”
“People ask are y’all twins and we’re like ‘no we’re triplets,” said Vanessa.
The revelation is often disbelief.
“They’re like where is she,” said Tiffany. “And I’ll be standing right there.”
Still, it is not terribly unusual to find only one of the girls doing something. For instance Christina stayed with cheer through last year – injuries forced her from the uniform – after Vanessa gave it up because “I didn’t like it,” and Tiffany can be found enjoying inside activities.
Besides, sometimes a break is dictated as was the case for homecoming when Christina was the Senior Maid.
They are also, of course, classmates.
Vanessa and Christina have identical schedules through the first three classes of the day, then Vanessa goes to help head coach Bailey Stringer with the seventh grade team while Christina heads to work on the yearbook.
Tiffany is in the same first and flex period classes with her sisters but also ventures out to computer science and AP Literature before rejoining them to leave for the day.
While they have shared interests, the seniors also are, as their schedules indicate, not afraid to go it alone. All are in the Art Club, but Vanessa and Christina also participate in Beta and Tiffany is in the Library Club.
Wearing the numbers 10 and 11, respectively, Vanessa and Christina play volleyball while Tiffany is, obviously more attune to reading.
Vanessa explains she wanted 10 and got it in softball after Layla Byrum graduated, so she wanted it in volleyball as well. Christina would have preferred to keep the junior high number of 5, though that is the only reason, but it was not available so she opted to be one number away from her sister.
In regards to volleyball the seniors are entering their final district tournament tonight in Dover. They are matched up against Atkins in the first round with the winner advancing to a match with Conway Christian for a regional tournament berth.
The Bearcats have been to Dover a couple of times this year with success each time, beating the Pirates in the regular season, and winning the silver bracket of a tournament Dover hosted.
Tonight’s opponent is one the Bearcats beat 3-1 on senior night last week with Tiffany in attendance and cheering them on, though she really finds the game “kind of boring, but (senior night) was kind of stressful.”
The two-thirds of the O’Neal triplets are two of the 10 Bearcat seniors looking to extend the season tonight.
Despite their look-alike appearances the volleyball players fill different roles for the Bearcats.
Though they did not even take up the sport until the offseason in eighth grade, Vanessa starts and is a setter for teammates, while Christina, who has earned varsity playing time, is a hitter primarily for the JV, but that does not mean disinterested.
Christina’s favorite game is actually the home match with Paris earlier this year in which she did not play, but the Bearcats took a set, and she was a line judge for the match.
Vanessa picks the same favorite while Tiffany goes with the senior night game last week.
The triplets also made up three legs of an indoor state championship 4x800-meter relay team – Abi Schup was the fourth runner – as sophomores.
For Vanessa and Christina it was their second state title ring as they were on the softball title team as freshmen.
Those sports are fun – all would have liked to have tried tennis but as a fall sport, it would not fit in the schedule – but nothing has held the attraction of volleyball.
Future plans for the girls are possibly the same, but maybe not. Vanessa and Tiffany want to be high school teachers. For Christina, that is a consideration, but she has not firmly settled on a Plan A.
They are, however, looking at different colleges to make that a reality.
The girls are the daughters of Brian O’Neal and Sasha Wheat.
What might also be surprising is that Vanessa is the oldest by a couple minutes with Tiffany being the second oldest, then Christina the youngest.
“When (Tiffany) came out she kind of pulled me with her,” said Christina.
“Sometimes I kind of forget that I was the second one born. My brain is like Vanessa and then Christina because they look so much alike,” said Tiffany.
