Glies quadruplets at Neshannock High School have formed an unbreakable bond

Rob, Jack, Luke and Jenna Glies are always there for one another — and always competing with one another

The Glies quadruplets from left to right - Luke, Rob, Jenna and Jack (Photo by Ryan Isley)

NEW CASTLE, Pennsylvania — When quadruplets spend so much time together before being born, they are destined to create an unbreakable bond. 

That is definitely the case for the Glies quadruplets at Neshannock High School — Rob, Jack, Luke and Jenna.

That is the order in which they entered the world on Feb. 18, 2005, when they were born three months premature after just six months in the womb. If you aren’t sure of the birth order, all you have to do is ask them.

“I’m the oldest, you can tell (Luke and Jack) back down to me,” Rob says.

“I’m the youngest boy,” Luke starts to say before being interrupted by Rob.

“You can tell that because he is afraid of both of (the other two boys),” Rob says.

As for Jenna, she will never forget that the three boys were born first.

“I never hear the end of it,” Jenna says. “I am always the youngest by 40 seconds.”

The four might have a good time picking on one another, but each is the other’s biggest cheerleader in sports and in life. The three boys all play baseball, while Jack played basketball for four years and Luke played for three, and Jenna played volleyball all four years and played softball in her freshman and sophomore years.

No matter the sport, if one — or more — of the Glies kids are playing, the others can be seen and heard cheering them on.

“We always watch each other. It’s just what we do,” Jenna said. “They support me through everything.”

The support the Glies kids show one another doesn’t get lost on their coaches, either.

“Our volleyball games are a lot of fun. You would really see our fans show up to some really key games, and those (Glies) boys are all in 100 percent cheering,” Neshannock volleyball coach Jenny Bolinger said. “It is a lot of fun to watch. It is a great environment for our girls, and the boys were the ringleaders of the fans.”

Storming the court

That was never more evident than this past October when Neshannock was taking on its rival, Shenango, in a volleyball match on senior night. Shenango entered the matchup undefeated, but the Lancers were just one point from sending them home with their first loss.

During the point, a Neshannock spike was blocked back over the net and the ball headed toward the sidelines. Jenna Glies hustled after it and saved it as she dove under the scorer’s table. 

 She got herself untangled form the wires in time to escape and get back to the court for yet another dig before Mairan Haggerty eventually ended the point — and the match — with a spike.

The final point of Neshannock volleyball’s victory over Shenango in the season finale. Jenna Glies flies UNDER the table, Mairan Haggerty with the final kill. Lancers give the ‘Cats their first defeat of the season! @Nesh_Sports @TribStandout @espn @SportsCenter #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/a7E0k6u7ab

— Lawrence County SportsNet (@LCSportsNet) October 21, 2022

“I was actually stuck in the cords,” Jenna said. “I was like ‘oh my God, there is no way that ball is up right now.’ When I turned to my left, I just see Jack and Luke screaming at me to get back in there.”

And when the point was over, who were the first people there to greet the hero? Her three brothers, of course.

“I stormed the court,” says Jack.

“I broke the ice,” says Rob.

“It was all three of us right in a row,” says Luke. “We all ran and tackled her.”

It was a play that her coach didn’t even realize had happened until later because in the moment, she was watching Shenango to see where their players were situated. But she gets chills just thinking about it.

“When we went for the after-party for the seniors, I saw the video for the first time and I was like, ‘Holy cow, what just happened?” Bolinger said. “Literally that whole night I just watched the video over and over again.”

Although Luke had a great throw in a playoff game last season against Riverside, the three boys all agree that Jenna’s play was the best by any of the four of them in their four years at Neshannock.

“My sister, that volleyball play,” Rob starts to say when asked which play was the best.

“I’ll give it to her,” Jack says.

“We can pretend like that didn’t happen, though,” Luke says with a laugh.

One thing they don’t all agree on, however, is which of the four is the best athlete.

“I am the best athlete of all of us,” Jack said.

When told of this, Jenna just shook her head and disagreed.

'Defense beast mode'

While the four Glies kids can pick on one another and have their play fights, nobody else better step to one of the siblings or they will have to deal with the entire group.

“They are allowed to hammer each other a little bit,” Neshannock baseball coach John Quahliero said. “But let me tell you something, if anybody turns on them or one of them or all of them, they are in defense beast mode.”

Quahliero, who coaches the three boys in baseball, says what anyone you talk to about the Glies quadruplets says — that they are just a joy to be around.

“I mean this sincerely — I have been here for 30 years, and you are not going to find a group of kids that are better character kids or stand-up people,” Quahliero said. “In today’s world, I will take any one of them every single day not only as a player but as a kid I want to develop to get to the next level in the world. They are going to be successful in life.”

And while they are quadruplets, they all have a different identity and personality.

“All of the Glies children are tremendous kids,” Neshannock boys basketball coach John Corey said. “It was a pleasure to have two of them in the gym (for three years). It was great to have one of them (this past year). Two would have been better, and I can just imagine their folks having all four together the great stories they have.”

When it comes to the four kids in their respective sports, none of the coaches could stop heaping praise upon them.

Jenna was named All-WPIAL Class 2A Section 1 this past winter in volleyball.

“The first word that comes to my mind (about coaching Jenna) is it is complete joy,” Bolinger said. “Jenna is the type of athlete that ever since she was in seventh grade, she came into the gym and just loved volleyball. You could see the passion right away that she had for the game and her teammates. She had a way of leading the team.”

Also during the winter in basketball, Jack was named All-WPIAL Class 3A in section 1.

“We spent time with Jack this season and giving him more expectations that we needed him to be a leader for us,” Corey said. “He really stepped up to the plate for us. What a tremendous senior basketball season he had.”

While Luke decided not to play basketball as a senior, Corey paid him one of the highest compliments a player can receive.

“I said, ‘I get it and the writing is on the wall that it is probably going to be hard for you to (get minutes), but I am really going to miss the hell out of you being on our team and being in the gym with us,’” Corey said.

Varying skills

On the baseball diamond, the three boys each have their own strengths.

“Jack, when he first walked on into the program, we knew that he's going to be the guy,” Quahliero said. “He is one of the most athletic kids I've ever coached. And it just comes easy to him.”

For Luke, he got his position by impressing the coaches in practice.

“Luke, actually, two years ago, won a position,” Quahliero said. “He was just grinding it out. He got my attention in practice. And we talked about how practices mean everything, and he's never come out of the lineup since.”

As for Rob, the baseball coach saw him as the worker.

“Rob was the first one that I gave a uniform to because he's the hardest worker, hands down,” Quahliero said. “He will outwork anyone. I'm not sure about Jenna, but I tell them all the time, she's the best athlete. But as far as the boys, Rob is the workhorse.”

Rob has continued to work hard even as a senior when he wasn’t in the starting lineup early in the season. Instead of moping around, he put in the work to get better, going to a local baseball complex at night to get in extra swings.

“He was going to Sandsone Baseball Academy every night, and there's a camera in there,” Quahliero said. “And so the guy that owns it has sent me videos of (Rob) working.”

The work paid off, as Rob got his chance for redemption.

“We needed a rally, so I put them in there to pinch hit, and he got a line drive laser hit,” Quahliero said. "He hasn’t come out of the lineup since.”

The three boys were all in the lineup on senior night May 11, as Neshannock defeated Kennedy Catholic 14-2 to wrap up their regular season. Jack led off playing shortstop, Luke hit second in left field and Rob was in right field hitting third.

“It’s the most fun thing I have ever done in my whole life, being out there with them,” Rob said. “Me and (Luke) in the (outfield) corners and (Jack) at shortstop. There is a chance we are going to be involved in every play with each other.”

“We are a triangle,” Luke said.

“We are a third of the team,” Jack said.

“I don’t think I have ever missed (Jack) on a cutoff (throw) in my life,” Luke said with a laugh.

And of course, Jenna was right there cheering on her brothers the same way they have done for her.

“They are definitely the biggest supporters of one another. You can tell there is a high level of love and respect for one another,” Corey said. “The overall love they have for one another is tremendous.”

The Glies kids turn everything into a competition, including when Luke and Rob decided to see who could throw a baseball the farthest before the game Thursday.

“I won,” Luke bragged.

“Even in video games, if I beat them, I am getting my chair flipped,” Luke said.

But when all is said and done, it's all in good fun.

“We love competing, but at the end of the day we love each other,” Jack said.

It’s a love that was formed over six months in the womb and has only gotten stronger over the past 18 years.