‘She stuck with it’
Jessica Belseth was a star at Eisenhower, then broke her ankle as a junior. She almost gave up. Now a college senior, she excels 6 years later at St. Xavier
Tuesday was senior night for women’s volleyball at St. Xavier.
Jessica Belseth, an outside hitter and one of the seniors, has been having a season to remember. She’s one of the team’s leading hitters and servers, and she’s also putting up nice numbers on defense.
When I spoke to Belseth the other day, I reminded her about our last conversation.
It was six years ago. She was a junior at Eisenhower, and we were doing an interview about how well she and her volleyball team were doing.
“That experience was so shocking to me,” Belseth said.
Shocking to her? It was shocking to me as well.
I never dreamed I’d be sitting in a classroom at Eisenhower talking about great girls volleyball, but there we were.
The Cardinals went on to have a season of all seasons, winning 26 matches and smashing the previous high of 19 victories.
When I told Belseth she represents the golden era of Eisenhower volleyball, she laughed.
“I would say the coach does,” Belseth said. “Danielle Mikos led us. It was difficult to get into that high standard of volleyball, but she pushed us. We all pushed ourselves.
“We came in for 6 a.m. practices. It was hard to get there, but I’m glad I was one of the people who helped get us there.” So much happened after that. Belseth broke an ankle, didn’t play her senior season and turned her focus to supporting and helping her seriously ill brother get better.
“I actually didn’t plan on playing in college,” Belseth said. “I was just going to go to Moraine, get my associate degree in nursing, and try to figure out life from there.”
Mikos and her other club coaches convinced Belseth to stick with it. When presented an opportunity to play for Bob Heersema at St. Xavier, she took it.
And oh, boy, did she run with it. After getting her feet wet during her freshman season, Belseth saw time in almost every match as a sophomore. During her junior season, she played in all of them and was third on the team in kills.
After a short spring season in 2021, she took advantage of a fifth year of eligibility.
Belseth has 304 kills for the Cougars (24-3), good for second on the team. She also has 20 aces. On defense, she has 210 digs and 23 blocks.
“It’s just been fun watching her go through the ups and downs and all the strength she has shown,” Heersema said. “She stuck with it and has become a
much better player.
“She’s a Blue Island kid. She just works hard. That’s what has kept her in the lineup and that’s what kept her in school. She just works really hard.”
It’s showing on both the court and the classroom.
I’ve seen some good Southland athletes give up sports in college to concentrate on nursing. It’s a
tough grind, and I’ve had some tell me it was simply impossible to juggle both.
Heersema, however, has an admirable history of working with his players. Belseth gave quite a testimony.
“He has been there for me all five years,” Belseth said. “He understands me not only as a player, but he understands school comes first.
“On days when I need a mental check, he’ll say, ‘OK, take a day and come back at tomorrow’s practice ready to swing.’ He understands. That’s a great trait for a coach to have.”
Down the line, Belseth has been blessed with such coaches. Mikos, by the way, is still teaching at Eisenhower. She’s also an assistant at Montini, one of the favorites to challenge for the Class 2A state championship.
Mikos told me an amusing story when I brought up the topic of that interview six years ago.
“You know, it’s actually funny,” Mikos said. “The
Montini kids are like, ‘Are we your favorite team ever?’ I said, ‘No, you’re not.’ They’re like, ‘Wait, what? We keep winning.’ But I’m like, ‘Uh-uh. My favorite team I ever coached was that Eisenhower team with Jess.’
“They had so many things to overcome, and they did. With Jess, for her to just continue to do so well, get into the nursing programs and to play so well ... that is the best, most fulfilling thing for a coach ever.”
Six years later, I’m proud of her too.