HELENA — Helena Capital’s No. 1 seed in the Western AA volleyball conference is thanks in part to Paige and Dani Bartsch. The sophomore twins helped lead the Bruins to their first bye to the state tournament in more than five years.
Outside of volleyball, both are normal sisters in high school who battle over the simple things like clothes and what time to get up for school. On the court, though, their relationship is a help, rather than a hindrance.
“I like (playing with Paige) because I can always be honest with her,” said Dani. “I never have to hold anything back, because I know it won’t hurt her feelings.”
Dani and Paige move in sync with each other on the court given the fact that they’ve both been playing for at least five years, but Dani almost never played the sport.
“I hated volleyball,” said Dani as Paige chuckled. “But I was at one of her tournaments and they needed someone to play, and so they had me play and I turned out to love it.”
Helena Capital head coach Rebecca Cleveland said that while the two are different, they’re great pieces in the giant puzzle of the team.
“Both girls are great to be around. One is a little bit more serious than the other, but together they’re a great addition to our team,” said Cleveland. “Just giggles every day at practice, both cracking jokes. They’re just so much fun, and they add so much to our team aside from skill.”
The two might only be sophomores at Helena Capital, but both have plans to play sports in college. Paige wants to stick with volleyball, and Dani would like to play basketball.
Helena Capital is currently awaiting the conclusion of the Class AA state playoffs. The Bruins will play the No. 4 seed from the Eastern AA in the first round of the state tournament on Nov. 8 at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman.
