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Feb. 7, 2008

August 10, 2007.

That's the day Jami Bjorklund, a junior on the Gonzaga University women's basketball team, and her younger sister Angie, last saw each other. Jami was preparing to start her third year at Gonzaga while Angie was leaving for a Young Life trip in Canada before heading off to her first year of college.

Fast forward to Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007. Bjorklund and the rest of the Bulldog basketball team braved the Spokane snow for an early morning departure on its first Zag-chartered flight.

Destination, you may ask? Gonzaga was headed to Knoxville, Tenn. for a contest against the top-ranked team in the nation - the University of Tennessee.

For Jami it was more than just a road trip, more than just a basketball game, it was also the day she and Angie, along with her parents, would all be reunited. Angie is a starting freshman guard and forward on the reigning national champion Lady Vols squad.

"Angie chose Tennessee early in the recruiting process," Jami said. "She had a few other unofficial visits but after praying about it she knew Tennessee was the place for her. I'm so proud and happy for Angie. To start as a freshman for the defending national champions is amazing."

As Jami relaxed on the six-hour flight over three time zones, having finished her fall semester finals the Thursday before, she had a mix of emotions. Excitement and anxiety all wrapped up in her 5-11 frame.

"I just talked to Angie," explained Jami as the plane took off from Grand Island, Neb. after refueling. "I was able to talk to her while we were on the ground. We both are so excited to see each other. I can't wait to go out to dinner with her and my parents tonight. She wants to take us to her favorite restaurant in Knoxville and just show me some of the sites."

You have to know Jami and Angie to understand this is more than just a basketball game. The two sisters are probably each other's biggest supporters and best friends.

"My parents drove back and forth from Angie's games to my games that weekend," Jami said. "They didn't miss any of the games. Angie lost the night before our championship game so she drove with my parents back to Portland and was in the stands when we lifted our first tournament trophy into the air."

Jami watches as many Tennessee basketball games as possible and even pestered her father Jim with phone calls for updates during the Tennessee-North Carolina contest as she made her way through airport security to fly home from the Arizona State University Classic earlier this season.

But as the plane inched closer to Knoxville all Jami was thinking about was seeing her sister, seeing the city Angie calls home and spending some quality time with her. Well that's not all she was thinking about - one of the biggest games of her life was just around the corner. For the first time Jami and Angie would play against each other, not with each other. They played one-on-one growing up but that was it.

"It's just like the driveway," said Angie on the possibility of the two sisters guarding each other during the game. "We'll give each other little smiles, but I am going to be trying to stop her and she's going to try and stop me. It's competitive, just like back home."

Fast forward again to Sunday, Dec. 16. Jami and Angie are book-ended between their parents with multiple camera flashes going off. Tennessee defeated Gonzaga 96-73, but the Bjorklund's were all smiles as family and friends took pictures of the four - Jami in her Bulldog blue, Angie in her Lady Vol orange and their parents in TennZaga T-shirts. The game and the experience was a moment the four will never forget.

"It was fun playing against her but even more fun hanging out with her off of the court," Angie said after the contest. "That's the first time I've played against her. It was different, but we definitely had fun."

Jami, who received loud applause from the Lady Vol faithful as she was announced in starting lineups, finished with 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Bulldogs. Angie, on the other hand, closed out the night with a game-high 23 points and hit seven three-pointers to tie a Tennessee school record.

"I didn't really know what to expect coming into it," explained Jami. "I didn't think it would be as fun as it was, but I am really thankful to come down here and play against Tennessee and my sister. It was a very memorable moment for me in my life."

As Jami and the rest of the Bulldogs loaded onto the bus and headed to the airport, Jami was content, knowing Gonzaga had showed the Mecca of women's basketball they are an up-and-coming national power and that in a few days her family again would be together for the holidays.

And what is Jami looking forward to next? Tennessee traveling to Spokane next season for another Bjorklund showdown.