HELENA — It’s not often three sisters all decide to attend the same college, much less play the same sport at the same position on the same team all at the same time.
But that’s exactly the case for the Heuiser sisters on this year’s Carroll College volleyball team.
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Helena High graduates Liz, Lauren and Birdie Heuiser have always been united by volleyball. But until this year, the three sisters had never really shared the court.
“I think we’ve all helped each other get better just growing up in the gym and with our mom coaching us and playing in the backyard and stuff,” said Liz, the eldest sister and a redshirt senior middle hitter. “We hold each other to high standards, and like I said, we play the same positions, so we’re always battling against each other.”
Liz redshirted her junior season while battling psoriatic arthritis. And only now that Liz is a fifth-year senior did the timeline match up for all three sisters to be playing college volleyball at the same time.
“Yeah, we’ve always kind of said Liz’s injury was a blessing in disguise once Birdie committed,” said Lauren, the middle sister and a junior middle hitter. “Because we didn’t know how things were going to turn out, and with Liz taking that fifth year, Birdie was able to come and have all three of us (at Caroll). So, (it was) kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time, but we like to say it was a blessing in disguise in the end.”
With all three sisters playing the same position, one might assume there’s a sibling rivalry brewing, but you know what they say about assuming things.
“I’d say that we’re pretty competitive in the way that we push each other to be our best,” said Birdie, the youngest sister and a freshman middle hitter. “And I don’t think there’s any animosity between any of us. We’re very competitive but very supportive of each other at the same time.”
Lauren agreed that the sisters are supportive of one another.
“Yeah, it gets a little competitive every once in a while, but I think at the end of the day, we’re competitive in the gym, but we’re sisters when we go back outside,” said Lauren. “So, yeah, it gets competitive here, but (we’re) still good when we go home.”
