Ellie and Katie Muller carry on family legacy with Dowling Catholic girls basketball

As the Dowling girls basketball team took the court for an early season game against Providence (Minn.), two of the players in the starting lineup looked similar.

Between the matching pink sneakers and identical French braids, it was like the two Maroons players could be sisters.

That’s because Dowling’s starting five does feature two siblings: Ellie and Katie Muller, two players who, despite being related, could not be more different.

Ellie, a sophomore forward with blonde hair, stands at 6-foot-2 and thrives in the paint.

Katie, a freshman guard with brunette hair, is 5-11 and loves to score from deep.

Both are integral to Dowling’s success this season, and they’re just getting started.

More: Introducing the Des Moines Register's 2023-24 preseason All-Iowa girls basketball teams

Ellie and Katie continue family legacy in basketball

It’s no small statement to say that basketball is part of the Muller sisters’ genetics.

Their grandfather, Ed, played high school basketball at Dowling and continued his career at Drake. Both their parents played college basketball, but it’s their mother who has a direct connection to the Maroons.

Julie Muller — then Julie Nahas — helped Dowling win its first state championship in girls basketball in 1992.

With a former state champion in the family and two sisters currently on the roster, the Mullers and Dowling basketball are synonymous.

“Their mom is very proud to be a Dowling Catholic alum,” said Maroons coach Kristin Meyer. “They’ve had cousins that have gone through here; their uncle is on staff with the boys team. They take a lot of pride in being members of the Dowling Catholic community.

“And I know their mom is really excited and proud to see her daughters play on the same gym floor that she did and be able to wear a Dowling Catholic jersey.”

It was never a question of whether Ellie and Katie would follow in their mother’s footsteps but when.

Both tried other sports: Volleyball, softball and track.

But they kept returning to basketball, and the sisters naturally took to the game.

More: The 50 best Iowa high school girls basketball players ahead of the 2023-24 season

“We all enjoyed basketball,” Ellie said. “Both our parents played it and then coached us, as well. All my friends played basketball. So, we just kind of fell in love with it.”

Competing together at Dowling

Ellie came off the bench as a freshman and appeared in all of Dowling’s games last season. She was second on the team averaging 8.6 points, and first with 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

She has improved in her sophomore season, with 15.1 points, 11 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game so far, and a spot in the starting lineup.

Joining her in the top five is Katie, who is in her freshman year at Dowling. She’s third on the team with 8.6 points per game and adds 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

“Last year, Ellie grew to have a big role for us,” Meyer said. “We knew that Katie was coming, but we weren’t sure where she fit in with the team. But she proved that she deserved a starting spot.”

For the sisters, it’s a dream come true to play together. Katie recognized that she wouldn’t be at the level she is now without Ellie helping her grow, and she enjoys being around her older sister. The two might argue on the court, sometimes, but they also appreciate the uniqueness of their situation.

“We definitely argue when we’re playing,” Ellie said. “I’ll get on her a little bit when I know she can do better. But we don’t fight a lot. It’s been a lot of fun. We’re always together now and we’re like best friends.”

Meyer has sisters herself. She wasn’t sure if having two sisters — especially a freshman and a sophomore — on the roster would complicate anything.

But it’s been better than expected. Ellie offers Katie tips and suggestions because the older Muller sister was in her shoes less than a year ago.

In a lot of ways, it’s been a slightly easier transition for Katie because she has her sister by her side through it all, according to Meyer.

And the best part about the Muller sisters’ success is that there is still more to come.

The future is bright for the Muller sisters

When Ellie is a senior and Katie is a junior, their youngest sister, Nikki, will be a freshman.

She also plays basketball but, with the two-year gap between her and her next oldest sister, Ellie and Katie haven’t had the opportunity to share the court with Nikki as much as they have with each other.

That moment is still years away, and no one can predict how things will turn out.

More: The Register's Iowa high school girls basketball preseason Super 10 rankings

But Meyer knows that — regardless of whether Nikki makes varsity as a freshman — it will be a thrill for the Muller family to have all three girls playing for the same program at the same time.

Nikki’s two older sisters are excited about the possibility.

“I’ve thought about what it would be like to have all three of us together,” Katie said. “I’m so excited for that day to come. I really hope that she will be able to play because that would be really cool.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Dowling girls basketball all about family for Ellie and Katie Muller