In the past few games on the Spartan schedule, the Levey sisters have certainly made themselves known. Just this past Tuesday in the matchup against Baldwin Wallace, sophomore Deena Levey scored the second goal of the game and was assisted by none other than freshman Leah Levey. For the sisters, playing together is a win-win situation. Not only are they the best of friends, according to head coach Tiff Crooks, but they also “push each other in really positive ways.”

Watching them play together is an interesting thing to behold; both play with quick foot skills and agility and often find each other on the field without seeming to really even look. It’s also sometimes hard to tell the sisters apart, who both stand at 5 feet 3 inches. As Crooks puts it, “They play in a similar style and have similar visions of the game. They work very well together on the field.” The similarities don’t stop there: during their years playing together at Bexley high school in Columbus, Ohio, both were NSCAA Academic All-Americans, All-State players and great students.

Deena’s first year at Case would be the first time the sisters lived apart; they shared a room growing up and when given the opportunity to move into their own rooms, they chose to stay roommates. Though separated, the sisters both had great seasons, respectively. Deena established herself as one the Spartan’s new key players on the field and earned All-UAA honorable mention honors. Back home in Columbus, Leah led her Bexley team to win the state championship, and picked up a Player of the Year for Ohio award in the process. Now together again, the Levey sisters each boast two goals and have proven to be a valuable force in the Spartan attack. But while their numbers are impressive, the one thing that can’t be explained in statistics is the on and off field communication between Deena and Leah.

“I love playing with Deena this year because have the sister ESP thing going on,” said the younger, Leah.

“One of the greatest things about Deena and Leah is how much their friendship as sisters helps them as competitors. As much as they want to success as individuals, they want the other to succeed as well. This motivation ends up helping them both achieve at the highest level. The relationship they have in incredibly strong and it’s even apparent when they play together,” Crooks agreed.

The biggest difference this year for us is playing together without living together, according to Leah. “Playing together in high school was so different than playing together in college because we don’t live in the same place now,” she says,” So, it makes it more difficult to pump each other up way before the game.”

It’s apparent that they motivate each other. At the Sept. 15 match against John Carroll, the Spartans came out with a win thanks to great overall team play as well as the two goals scored by Deena and Leah. When they both were off the field during a substitution, the sisters made their way through a line of high-fives before they found each other for a quick hug and words of encouragement.

Deena says, “we played together all through high school and I loved every second of it! The only thing that I can say is different is that we are playing different positions on the field. It took a day or two to get used to playing that way, but I think we are already back to our usual flow.” Judging by their outstanding place thus far in the season, I think it’s safe to say that Deena’s right.