Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

When Rose Beljour was growing up as an athlete in her native Hackensack, she always had the inspiration of her older brother, standout athlete Jean, who was an All-State running back at Hackensack High School before going on to play at Rutgers University.

“When I was a freshman in high school, he was a junior,” Rose Beljour said of her brother, who is currently studying to become a state trooper in Maryland. “I guess you can say he motivated me, because I was always trying to live up to the family name. Since we weren’t in the same sport, I didn’t feel any pressure. He had his own separate life and I had mine.”

Rose Beljour played volleyball and ran track at Hackensack High School. When she decided to attend Rutgers-Newark a few years ago, she chose to concentrate on volleyball and was here before current coach Karl France arrived.

However, a year ago, Beljour decided to walk away from volleyball.

“It wasn’t so much that I didn’t want to play,” Beljour said. “It hurt a lot that I didn’t play. I just had to take care of some things.”

Despite her small frame, Beljour was an outside hitter for the Scarlet Raiders prior to her departure.

“We needed her at outside hitter and she handled it well,” France said. “But when she left, she was away from the game for a year.”

Beljour was basically a player without a position. France knew that he needed someone to fill the role of libero, the defensive specialist. It takes a special breed of player, the unselfish consummate team performer, to be a libero.

“Rose is always in the game, always ready to give herself up and always gives 100 percent,” France said. “It was easy to see that she still had the passion for the game. She was able to give us leadership. She was able to help out our young players. We have seven newcomers on the roster, so it’s enormous to have someone on the floor with her experience and her leadership. I had no hesitation putting Rose at libero.”

Beljour was familiar with the position, having played libero in high school.

“It wasn’t so tough and not that big of a transition,” Beljour said. “Maybe when I came back and saw all the others hitting and serving and realizing, `No, I have to pass,’ it bothered me a little. But a lot of it comes down to making the right moves. It was an easy adaptation for me. Whatever was best for the team, I was willing to do.”

Beljour also downplayed the role of being a leader.

“For me, it was more like coming back to a family thing,” Beljour said. “I just wanted to keep up the positive energy and be enthusiastic about everything. That’s a big thing for me on the court.”

Beljour has adapted well to her role as the Scarlet Raiders’ libero. She’s among the leaders in the New Jersey Athletic Conference in digs and digs per game.

“She was able to knock the rust off pretty quickly,” France said. “She’s among the best liberos in the league. She might have missed a year, but it wasn’t like we lost anything. Rose’s mind is fine, her body is fine. She’s been away from the sport for a year, so her timing was a little off. She’s just getting back to where she needs to be to play the sport. She was once one of the mainstays. Now, she concentrates on defense and she doesn’t have to feel the pressure of doing something extra. She’s done a great job.”

Beljour has enjoyed her return to volleyball.

“Because I missed it so much, I absolutely had to come back to play this year,” Beljour said. “I just had to come back.”

Beljour is majoring in criminal justice and psychology at Rutgers-Newark, but she hopes to attend law school next year. One day, Beljour would like to work in international corporate law.

She has yet to start the application process to attend law schools.

“I’ll start applying once I figure out what area I’d like to live in,” Beljour said. “We’ll see what happens.”

For now, Rose Beljour is happy she made the choice to return to volleyball at R-N.

“I am very happy,” Beljour said. “I missed the girls, I love the team, I love the camaraderie,” Beljour said. “I’m glad I was able to come back and catch up on some things.”

And give the Scarlet Raiders one of the best defensive specialists in the NJAC in the process.