10th in a series of stories highlighting the academic, community and personal achievements of University of Toledo student-athletes.

By Chris Cullum, Associate Athletic Communications Director

When the phrase "the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree" was first coined, it's likely that the author was thinking of a family like the Beasleys.

Liz and Meg Beasley, twin sisters on the Toledo women's volleyball team, are set to graduate this summer with their bachelor's degrees from the UToledo College of Nursing.

When they graduate, they will be the second and third member of the Beasley family to graduate with a nursing degree and play volleyball for the Rockets. Annie Beasley, their older sister, played at Toledo and studied nursing from 2014-17. And before Liz, Meg, and Annie ever suited up for the Midnight Blue and Gold, their older sister Emily played volleyball at Ohio Northern and studied for a career in healthcare as well. She now works as a pharmacist.

It's no wonder Liz, Meg, and their two older sisters decided to enter the world of healthcare upon graduation. Their mother, Sheri Beasley, is a nurse as well.  Sheri, in turn, got the bug to become a nurse, from her mother, Liz and Meg's grandmother, Marcia McDonald.

"I enjoyed watching my mom make a difference when I was a kid," Sheri said of her mother, who also worked as a nurse. "I admired her so much, I knew that's what I wanted to do. It's wonderful that we can all be of service to people and to help people."

Family history aside, studying to be a nurse while also doubling as a Division I student-athlete is no easy feat. Luckily for Liz and Meg, they watched someone succeed on the exact same path just a few years ago.

"We both knew we wanted to get into nursing," Meg said. "So heading into recruiting, it helped that we knew Toledo would be flexible with our academic schedules after watching Annie go through it."

While other schools were wary of their intention to major in nursing, the Toledo coaching staff encouraged Liz and Meg to pursue whatever academic path they desired.

"A lot of schools will steer you away from choosing a more difficult major, but that isn't the case with Toledo," Liz said. "Many of our teammates are pursuing challenging majors as well, and I think it's great that Toledo is so accommodating to that."

Both Liz and Meg have thrived since coming to UToledo. Liz is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection and appeared in 14 matches this season, averaging 1.93 kills/set. Meg was an Academic All-MAC setter as a sophomore in 2019, earning MAC West Setter of the Week honors that year and starting 23 of 28 matches. Their athletic pursuits have helped them academically as well.

"Being in athletics, you're always around doctors and athletic trainers, so it gives you an appreciation for the medical field." Liz said.

"I think being an athlete really helps you professionally because you learn to be a part of a team," added Sheri. "Working in healthcare is very important because we're all working together to make sure we can provide for our patients the best we can."

Liz, an outside hitter, and Meg, a setter, aren't vying against each other for playing time on the volleyball court, instead using their competitiveness to make each other better. That's not to say the twin sisters aren't using their other shared activities to get their competitive juices flowing.

"Since we play different position in volleyball, our competitiveness is about pushing each other to be better," Meg said. "But with our school work there is definitely some bragging when one of us gets a higher score on an exam or something."

Liz and Meg's hard work on and off the court has not gone unnoticed by Toledo's head women's volleyball coach Jason Oliver.

"Their entire family works hard," Oliver said. "Meg and Liz have really been exceptional in balancing the nursing program and the demands of playing volleyball in the MAC. They have grown and really developed into well-rounded, very capable student-athletes.  We are proud to say that the Beasley family are Rockets for life."

Being on the same team and in the same major as your twin sister has its advantages ("We always have a study buddy," Liz said). But when they can't help each other they know that their mother and older sister have been in their shoes before, and they're only a phone call away to lend their help.

"It's nice to have someone there to answer questions or even just to offer reassurance," Liz said.

"They can put a lot of pressure on themselves to get everything just right, which is a great trait to have," Sheri said. "But you need to allow yourself time to learn, and you can learn so much by doing things. So I've tried to teach them that being patient with yourself while you learn a new skill is so important, because the more you practice those skills the easier they'll become."

As with all aspects of life, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused some disruptions to Liz and Meg's academics. In a normal year, they reserve the spring and summer semesters for their nursing responsibilities and take a lighter class load in the fall due to volleyball. But this year with MAC volleyball moving to the spring semester, Liz and Meg had a full nursing load in the fall, meaning they had three straight semesters in their major instead of two. "It was a pretty atypical year and definitely very challenging," said Liz.

The Beasleys have met those challenges head-on, and have done so successfully. They'll wrap up their undergraduate nursing responsibilities this summer and keep an eye on the job market, should a position open up at a desired hospital. They both plan on taking courses this fall and playing volleyball for the Rockets while also studying for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), which they'll need to pass to receive their registered nurse license. Once that happens Liz intends to look at hospitals in the Toledo area, and Meg plans to stay in the Midwest as well.

"Even though there were some unexpected things have happened, whether it's COVID or injuries, I've really enjoyed my time at Toledo," Liz said. "Having sports and family to lean on in college has been super beneficial."

Added Meg, "Since we already had a sister here and we met our coaches and teammates before enrolling. Toledo already felt a little like family.

"That feeling has only gotten stronger."

Previous Stories
Feb. 24 - Tycen Anderson Draws Inspiration From His Grandmother
March 3 - Thailand Native Thawin Suksathaporn has found a home in Toledo
March 10 -  Freshmen Women's Tennis Players Take Aim at Medical School
March 17 - Lexa Bauer's Passion for Justice Leads Her Toward a Law Career
March 24 - Alexia Moehling on Track to Career as a Dentist
March 31 - Lauren Wegener Takes the Fast Lane
April 8 - Jacob Harris is on Track to Becoming a Coach
April 15 - Lavel Dumont Builds a Unique Friendship Out of Shared Love of Football
April 21 - Botha Brothers Find a Home Far From Home