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MHCC Volleyball Twins: Mirror Images of Success
The Advocate
What's better than one talented freshman volleyball recruit joining a team in the running for an NWAACC championship? Two, of course – the Belshe twins.
Roseburg twins Demi, a 5-foot-10 middle blocker, and her twin sister Devan, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter, joined the Saints this season.
They're not the first Belshes to attend Mt. Hood and play volleyball. They've followed in the footsteps of their older sister, Brittney, who played during the 2005-06 season for assistant coach Chelsie Freeman (now Chelsie Speer), the current head volleyball coach. Speer often experiences "deja vu" because of the similarities between Devan and Brittney. Speer has known the Belshe family for a long time. She's watched the girls grow up and develop into young women with a great work ethic brought on by their ability to "push each other without taking it personally," said Speer.
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The transition from high school to college has been relatively easy for the two. However, living with one another certainly lessens the homesickness factor after leaving the nest. The twins are also room ing with Natalie Dwight, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter who, like the twins, attended Roseburg High and has played with the girls since seventh grade. Dwight was encouraged by the twins to contact Speer; from there, everything fell into place.
Both sisters earned hardware during their reign at Roseburg, a team that traditionally has success at the 6A level of competition.
In high school, Devan received first team all-league honors during her junior and senior campaigns, while Demi was second team all-league her junior year, and first team all-league her senior year.
On top of receiving scholarships, Mt. Hood was overall appealing to the duo. They have "the best team chemistry" and "they (athletics) come together as a family," said Demi. Both sisters stress how privileged they are to get the opportunity to play for a college team, especially since it means they can stay together.
Among the perks of having someone there who always has your back, Devan explained how it's "normal" and also "annoying" to always be compared to one another.
Contrary to Devan's pet peeve, Speer pointed out how different the girls are, especially in their style of play. Speer describes Demi's strengths as being passionate and outgoing, which helps to lift the team's spirits. "She keeps the team alive," said Speer. Devan, on the other hand, maintains composure and leads by example. She is "quiet and to the point. She gets the job done," Speer said.
According to Speer, the team's biggest weakness is losing confidence. Nevertheless, their impressive record of 22-4 allows the girls to hold their heads high. Speer says that although the girls have the right to be confident in their record so far, it does not guarantee an NWAACC title and they work on their skills everyday. When facing mistakes, Speer said, "I want to see us respond with our heads up and not get down."
So far the team has spent the season working on that.
Demi points out that they are coming together on the court and focused on staying constructive, rather than the "lapses" in their play. Devan said that one of the team's goals is to have a "good mental perspective." "We don't play down to another team's level," Demi added.
Individually, both girls have areas they are working to improve. Serious weight training is new to them. Despite this, they are embracing the dedicated atmosphere and working on getting stronger. Demi plans to improve on her vertical jump and Devan is working on a stronger block and "learning all I can about the game," she said.
Plans to continue playing volleyball are evident in both of their lives. Demi plans to coach one day and both women are eager to move to the next level. For now, they are just working on improving their skills and enjoying the team. Demi said they are attempting to "soak everything in while we can."
As for their educational future, Demi would like to attend Oregon State, Hawaii Pacific or a California university to follow her dream of becoming a high school health and P.E. instructor.
Devan is taking core classes plans to attend beauty school to become a hairdresser. She was unable to get involved with the Mt. Hood cosmetology program due to the demanding volleyball schedule. The sport consumes her focus for now. She is unsure about where she wants to transfer and said, "It all depends on what opportunities come my way."
The Belshe sisters know that one day they will have to take different paths in life. The very thought saddens them as Demi said she has never been without her sister. Both plan to pursue volleyball for as long as they can. Devan summed it up for both of them when she said, "I love volleyball. It's never going to be out of my life."
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