​The bond between sisters runs deep for Courtney Harriman and Emily (Harriman) Vossers, a connection that found its fullest expression through athletics, especially basketball. Their journey began in the Geneva Youth Basketball League, continued through Geneva High School, and extended to Thiel College. After their playing days, the sisters returned to Geneva High School as coaches, with Vossers serving as the head girls basketball coach and Harriman as the junior varsity coach and varsity assistant.
Like many athletes, their first experiences with the sport happened at home, where they spent countless hours in the driveway playing games such as “Pig” and one-on-one matchups. Harriman, a 2016 GHS graduate, recalls how those heated driveway battles helped them bond in a unique way, emphasizing the competitive spirit that defined their relationship. Basketball influences often lead back to one name for them: Coach Nancy Barbo. Vossers, who is two years younger, recounts Barbo’s significant impact as she was inducted into the 2023 Ashtabula County Basketball Foundation Hall of Fame. The sisters describe Geneva as a place with a lasting legacy, a sentiment Harriman echoes when she notes that Barbo embodied a balance of heart and grit that they strive to uphold in their program.
Barbo’s influence and the privilege of being part of a strong program are things they both cherish. Harriman recalls Barbo’s remarkable tenure as Eagles’ head coach, amassing a 341-148 record over 22 years. The sisters were both on the Eagles’ regional-final qualifying team during the 2014-15 season, a memory that still resonates. Vossers highlights the atmosphere and the way that season brought the team closer together as some of her best memories, even though Geneva fell to West Branch 50-30 with a shot at a state berth on the line. That experience not only stirred excitement but also forged lasting friendships among teammates.
On the personal front, Harriman is engaged to Tim Bowling, with a wedding planned in October. Vossers is married to Kyle Vossers, and she serves as the maid of honor. Their friendship is further strengthened by their shared connections, including Lindsey (Mayle) Rivera, a former four-time All-Ohio selection in Division II who was a teammate at Geneva and remains in the wedding party alongside them. Rivera’s ties to the community run deep, with roots tracing back to Grand Valley and connections to Thiel’s current head coach Jess Vormelker, a former teammate of Harriman and Vossers, as well as other players such as Alivia (Sidley) Bess from Ledgemont and Danyelle (Lucido) Kendra of Grove City High School.
Both sisters continued their basketball journeys at Thiel College, a Division III school in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Harriman followed in her sister’s footsteps, noting, “I followed my sister. I’ve always looked up to her.” In Greenville, Pennsylvania, their circle of teammates included women who would become lifelong friends, and the bonds they formed there remain strong today, including their roles in each other’s wedding parties.
After Thiel, both women returned to their hometown and began teaching in the Geneva school system. Harriman teaches eighth-grade math, while Vossers works with kindergarteners, evidence of their commitment to shaping young lives beyond the court. Vossers speaks passionately about basketball, describing how the opportunity to lead her alma mater felt like a natural next step. “I was 23 when I started coaching,” she recalls, describing the coaching path as a blessing and a chance to give back to the program that helped shape her. Their shared history—growing up together, playing together, and leading together—continues to influence their leadership on and off the court.