When people are told that Jade and Meghan Rockwood are twins, the initial reaction is one of disbelief.

"People look at me in shock and say, ‘No way!'" Meghan explains.

Jade is blondish, long and left-handed and looks most like their mother. Meghan is right-handed, dark-haired, shorter and takes after their dad.

But like two snowflakes, while the two may differ in appearance, they meld on the volleyball court as linchpins during Central Valley's recent unprecedented run of success.

With them in the lineup, the Bears have qualified for state two successive years, last year winning the Greater Spokane League, district and regional tournaments and finishing eighth in state. This year, they repeated their GSL title and are headed into the postseason beginning Oct. 31. 

The fraternal twins have been inseparable on the volleyball court since being towed to the gym at age 7 where their mother, Cathy, was helping coach older sister Peyton on a volleyball club team.

"When Peyton was 12, I was assistant coaching," explained Cathy. "The deal was I'd be the coach if they allowed the twins in the gym."

Jade remembers the two of them "stealing a ball from the cart" and playing together. Bitten by the volleyball bug, they hit the club circuit and from age 12, Cathy said, the two have qualified for national tournaments every year.

They may have different personalities and goals. Jade is stoic and internalizes a fierce competitiveness that she'll carry on in college. Meghan is more outgoing and vociferous as she directs things from the back row. Her career will end as she prepares for a career in medicine. But the two are inseparable.

"Oh my gosh," Cathy said. "They were each other's best friend, always. The two have been perpetual motion since they were born. There were times when I had to tell them to take it outside or go downstairs because they were laughing so loud."

If ever there were a sense of rivalry between them, it is because they both are setters.  Meghan may have envied Jade's height, but Jade envied Meghan's "amazingly clean hands" when directing a ball.

Until this fall, the two spent their careers sharing the position and splitting time on the court. First-year coach Laurie Quigley resolved a dilemma by making Jade the lone setter and moving Meghan to libero in the back row so the pair can play fulltime. 

Quigley had come to Meghan and explained her options and asked her what she wanted to do.

"What can my team benefit from more?" Meghan asked her coach. "Changing from setter to libero was hard. As a setter you're running the court, tell the girls what to do and set up the system."

Meghan at first embraced her new role reluctantly. Having never played the position, she said she took it on as a challenge.

The libero does the dirty work in the back, often diving to dig up the ball before it hits the floor and beginning an attack with a pass to her setter, in this case in sync telepathically with her twin. In matches this year, her defensive dig totals have run as high as the 30s.

"Meghan's a great setter, too, but we made the decision we wanted her on the floor all the time," Quigley said. "She sees the other team's offense unfold really well, can make reads and guesses right most of the time." 

Jade's role is to direct the ball to power hitters who get the glory. Jade has sometimes assisted successful kills in the 40s. Being left-handed, she also provides an added dimension to CV's attack.

"Coach Laurie has definitely helped me jump set more and be more of an offensive threat up at the net," Jade said. "She also helps me more with the mindset of who I need to go to in situations."

"She sees the court really well, sees other team's blockers really well," Quigley said. "Her biggest presence is when she is in the front row and can swing on the ball."

To watch them play is a revelation. Jade is all business on the court and her visage underscores her drive, although of late she's become more animated. Meghan, on the other hand, is constantly moving and vocal, like watching Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, directing traffic.

"Having them both on the floor all the time is huge for us," Quigley said. "Jade runs the offense, Meghan runs the defense."

They'll play softball together this spring, Jade, once a promising pitcher, in left field, Meghan, who caught her, at third base. But time is soon coming when the twins must cope as they go their separate ways. Both say it will harder on Jade than Meghan.

"It is going to be really different not sharing a car with her, or practically going everywhere with her," Jade said. "But the hardest part, I think, is just not having my best friend with me because I'm so dependent on her."

Meghan added, "I think it will be hard when Jade and I are separated, because we have been together for 18 years. But I think we won't be afraid to call one another and just talk and support one another."

As they've done in sports for all these years.