CROOKSTON, Minn. - To the casual observer of the Minnesota Crookston volleyball program, you might do a double take when you look on the court and see two players who look eerily similar donning the Maroon and Gold. No, you aren't seeing double when you see number seven and eleven, those are identical twins Kassi and Kelci Green. Both have been staples in the line-up for the last four seasons for the Golden Eagles. While they very much look like identical twins, they have two very different personalities and did not come across many typical twin moments in their youth.

"Growing up we weren't the most in sync twins," Kassi Green said. "We were both kind of, she does her thing and I do my thing."

The one moment that did not hold true is a story the twins have been told by their mother Kathy Green. It took place when they were younger and both sleeping in their room.

"My mom tells the story that she would come into our room in the middle of the night and we would be sitting up in our beds having a full on conversation in Spanish while we were sleeping," Kassi Green said. "Neither of us are fluent in Spanish by any means. That was probably the most twin thing we ever did."

While they have always lived their own lives and been their own people, they have always had their companion with them all the way. So when it came down to choosing where to play college volleyball, they weren't necessarily pursuing the same road together, but that is where life took them.

"We definitely got recruited together. Some colleges recruited us individually, but a lot of schools recruited both of us," Kelci Green said.

"It wasn't until we went on a visit here that we were planning to go to school together," Kassi Green. "We both liked different schools up until we came to Minnesota Crookston. We weren't really set on the fact that we need to play together. It was just like whichever one you like, you like and we don't necessarily need to be together."

Together they made their way north from Anoka, Minn. to Crookston, Minn. Both players would redshirt their freshman seasons to aid in their development as neither of them had been playing volleyball for very long. In fact, both Kassi and Kelci Green grew up as softball players before making the transition to volleyball during their time at Anoka High School.

"It was definitely after our freshman year of high school," Kelci Green said. "We slowly transitioned away from softball. Kassi got away from softball as a sophomore and I stayed with it through my senior year. It was always volleyball that pushed through everything."

"We first got into volleyball because a bunch of our friends were playing volleyball," Kassi Green said. "Growing up, we were both softball players. It was all about softball for both of us. Then we got to high school and a bunch of our friends were like 'we are going to play volleyball, are you guys?', so we both said okay we are going to play volleyball. It was more something where we could hang out with friends rather than something to do."

Though it wasn't their first love, it has become that as they both have developed into impact players and starters for the Golden Eagles. Kelci Green as a middle hitter, where she currently leads the team with 0.83 blocks per set, and Kassi Green as an outside hitter, where she leads Minnesota Crookston with 3.93 kills per set. Both players are having their best seasons yet in the Maroon and Gold.
It has been a journey for both Kassi and Kelci Green during their time at Minnesota Crookston, but Kassi Green has a unique balance that not all student-athletes have to overcome. Prior to her redshirt sophomore season Kassi gave birth to her daughter Kyla. Kassi has a great support system with her volleyball coaches, team, Kelci and friends in her major that have helped her balance work, school and volleyball.

"It is definitely something that I have had to adapt to," Kassi Green said. "I literally wouldn't be able to do it without the support of my coaches, my teammates and the girls that are in my major. They help out a lot when I need a babysitter for Kyla. They are fine with coming to the house at 5:30 in the morning and watching Kyla. It is awesome. I wouldn't be able to do it without everyone else's support."

Kassi Green has also been helped out immensely by her mother Kathy. She made the decision to move from Anoka to Crookston prior to her daughter's redshirt sophomore season. Kathy also helps take care of Kyla and has been great for both of her daughters to have when they need her.

"It is awesome," Kassi Green said. "She does my laundry. She is super great. I am super blessed to have someone that would uproot her life in Anoka to move here to help me out."

It has been a great road for the twins, but their time in Crookston is coming to an end soon as they will wrap up their careers at Lysaker Gymnasium Nov. 4 against Wayne State College. Both Kassi and Kelci are in disbelief that the time has gone by so quickly.

"It is definitely going to be different not coming back in August," Kassi Green said. "It is something that you have been accustomed to for five years. We were just talking earlier in the locker room about how it doesn't seem like we graduated high school five years ago. It is going to feel like that for a while. My body is telling me no. I definitely feel like a 22-year old."

For now, the twins will focus on helping to lead the Golden Eagles to success on the volleyball court.

"I think the goal of this year is the goal of any year," Kassi Green said. "We want to do the best we can and make it to the conference tournament. That is the ultimate goal or maybe even beyond that. It isn't necessarily about the scores, but more about knowing that we played the best that we could. Any given day anyone in this league can win. We just want to play how we know we can play and focus on that."

When the time does come when they walk off the Lysaker Gymnasium floor for one last time and then don their graduation robes in May, both Kassi and Kelci have agreed that they will go their separate ways if need be.

"We definitely both want to each other to be successful," Kelci Green said. "We both agree that our careers will take us where they take us. We aren't going to go purposely look for a job where the other one is. We are just going to be supportive."

"It will definitely be weird," Kassi Green said. "It will be the first time that we won't be together, so that will take some getting used to."

Kassi and Kelci Green exchanged a look and a hug as they talked about going different ways in their lives. So while they are supportive of each other achieving their greatest goals, it is pretty easy to see that they will miss having the other by their side. For they have always been there for each other, whether on the volleyball court or through the peaks and valleys of life. Though they will go their separate ways and have always had their unique identities and different passions, Kassi and Kelci will always be there for each other, through thick and thin, whether in the same town of thousands of miles away. The twin bond is something special and you can see that in number seven and eleven in the Maroon and Gold.