LANCASTER'S HODGE: COURAGE ON COURT; VOLLEYBALL HELPING SENIOR COPE WITH LOSS OF TWIN BROTHER.

Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News

After spending three years on Lancaster High's lower division volleyball teams, making the varsity team this fall was a monumental achievement for Carly Hodge.

``It's about time,'' Hodge said with a laugh. ``It feels great.''

Still, volleyball pales in comparison to the other adversities the free-spirited and outgoing senior setter has overcome.

Hodge suffers from congenital nerve deafness and has worn hearing aids since age 2 to correct moderate to severe hearing loss. In April, Hodge dealt with the loss of her twin brother Jeff, who died from injuries suffered in an automobile accident.

Volleyball, though, has helped fill the void for Hodge. Two days after her brother's death, Hodge was adamant about playing in a club volleyball tournament despite pleas from her parents and friends to take time off. Hodge has also dedicated her senior season to her brother.

``Volleyball has been my way of dealing with it,'' Hodge said. ``I try to keep my mind on different things. It pushes me and motivates me to play.''

Friends said Hodge, who also has a younger sister Whitney, 13, was particularly close to her brother. Each morning, they walked to school together. And Jeff, born a minute earlier, always escorted his ``little sister'' to her first-period classroom to ensure Carly arrived safely.

When Carly said goodbye to Jeff on the morning of April 16, however, it would be the last time they would speak.

That afternoon, Jeff suffered a skull fracture when he fell out of a van that was making a turn. He was in a coma for five days in the pediatric intensive care unit at Antelope Valley Hospital before the decision was made to take him off life support with no sign of brain activity and to donate his organs.

Jeff was an active member at Lancaster United Methodist Church. He worked the sound system for musical groups at the congregation and also visited the Dominican Republic on a missionary trip. An aspiring musician, Jeff played drums in a church youth group.

On that fateful Friday afternoon, Jeff had just learned that one of his songs was under consideration for use in a movie. Riding in a van with three friends, Jeff repeatedly opened the side-sliding door and shouted to passers-by in celebration.

As the vehicle turned at the corner of 20th Street West onto Avenue J-13, just three blocks from home, Jeff stepped onto the running board. He lost his footing, and fell backward headfirst to the pavement. In class at the time of the accident, Carly experienced a severe pain in the back of her head and was unable to complete a math exam.

More than 600 people attended Jeff's funeral. At Lancaster High, a moment of silence was held in Jeff's honor. A memorial fund had been also set up in his name at his church for upgrades to the sound system.

``I've never thought of him as a twin,'' Hodge said. ``I always thought of him as a friend. I learned a lot about life. Anything can happen, even walking outside.''

Carly, who assisted with funeral arrangements, missed three weeks of school after the ordeal and finished the remainder of her junior year on independent study. This fall, Hodge returned to regular classes for the first time.

``It was hard because when she is on campus, people kept talking to her to help her through it,'' said Lancaster volleyball coach Bruce Rucker, who lives in the same condominium complex with Hodge. ``When she is in the gym, it is a safe haven from the outside world to zone out.''

Hodge does not talk much about the death of her brother or her hearing loss, but her teammates said they have been overcome by Carly's courage. Junior outside hitter Jennifer Krutsch, who plays on the same club team and was on the Lancaster junior varsity last fall, broke into tears when speaking of her respect for Hodge.

``Carly has always been there for me and I admire her for what she has gone through,'' Krutsch said. ``She will always have a place in my heart because I trust her so much. I always look up to her. I've learned to look past the outside and inside to see how wonderful she is.''

Hodge doesn't want any sympathy or special treatment. Her parents, Penny and Lance, made it a point not to shelter their daughter, enrolling her in regular classes in public schools and encouraging her to participate in sports. Hodge, a student in Lancaster's Career in Art and Multimedia Production program, hopes to one day teach or become an interior designer.

Although she is not fully deaf, Hodge can hear little without hearing aids, particularly high frequencies. The cause is believed to be hereditary. Hodge's mother, grandfather and great grandmother also had a similar hearing loss. Whitney, along with her brother Jeff, had no hearing problems.

In class, Hodge said most of her teachers are unaware she has a hearing loss because her hearing aids are hidden by her hair. In volleyball, the only difficulties have been occasional short-circuiting because of sweat or dead batteries.

``I don't really think about it,'' Hodge said. ``It is not really a problem because I never really knew what it is like not to have them. Things are back to normal, about as good as it is going to get.''

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Photo: (color) Carly Hodge has overcome many obstacles, including congenital nerve deafness.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer