Duo shines in first year together on the hard court

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)

Published: Nov. 29, 2013

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News Sports Editor

West Bend East’s Elizabeth Bensen had to make a choice: gripe and moan about the change or take it in stride and return it with a firm volley down the line.

Initially, it wasn’t that simple.

As a freshman, Bensen played No. 2 singles for the Suns and qualified for the sectional. Before this season came a collection of freshmen with a bunch of accolades and talent, led by Lexi Keberle and Melina Schaetz.

Like it is for any student-athlete, admitting there was someone better wasn’t easy for Bensen. However, she knew it was the best thing for the team and that’s why coach Laura Vraney had to find a spot for Bensen.

Vraney moved Bensen to No. 1 doubles and partnered her with junior Hailee Dassow. It was a difficult transition for Bensen because of the drastic differences in the style of play usually used for singles and doubles play.

For Bensen, she wouldn’t play many rallies at the net. That’s almost required in doubles.

“It was kind of a big change,” Bensen said.

“It’s tougher than people think,” Vraney said about moving from singles to doubles. “The points are so much shorter, the strategy is so much different. Your whole style of play changes.”

Bensen at least had someone to learn from who had been down a similar path a year earlier.

Dassow moved to doubles after playing No. 4 singles as a freshman.

“It was a pretty big adjustment going from four singles to one doubles,” Dassow said. “You just learn as you go and get better with every match. I think communication is the key to be a very good doubles team.”

Dassow and Bensen developed into a good doubles team, winning the inaugural Daily News Girls Tennis Doubles Team of the Year honor.

“It was really fun,” Bensen said of the season. “It was really different because I had played singles. Overall I had a fun season.”

This season, the duo formed an alliance as tight as sisters en route to a berth in the WIAA individual state tournament where they won their openinground match over the team that beat them in the sectional.

“It was really exciting,” Bensen said. “Going to state is awesome, but winning your first match is really awesome, especially after losing to them in the sectional.”

To Vraney, it seemed the duo meshed right away.

To start the season, Bensen and Dassow battled through a tightly contested match against Sheboygan South and won the match.

“I remember their first match quite well,” Vraney recalled. “It was against Sheboygan South. It was really close. They were so happy they won. They were excited to be on the court together. After they won their first match, they realized they can win.”

Bensen said, “Since we won it, it gave us confidence the rest of the season. I think it would’ve been different if we had lost that match.”

The turning point of the season may have come during the Washington County Invitational at about the halfway point. The pair took second.

“We realized we can play with the upper-level teams,” Bensen said.

With Dassow having gone through a similar transition, she stepped up her game not only on the court, but with her leadership as well.

“I taught her some of the strategies,” Dassow said. “She was very open about it and caught on really quick.” Vraney added, “Hailee is a really good leader on the court. She keeps Lizzy calm. She’s a solid player. She doesn’t really have any weaknesses in her game. Hailee was a leader for our whole team. Her leadership was important.”

It took some time for Bensen to warm up to the idea of moving from singles to doubles. With the way the WIAA sets up its state tournament, typically the No. 1 and No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles teams advance to state. Sometimes a No. 2 doubles team can make it to state via special qualifier. Flights after that almost have no chance to qualify for state.

Bensen had thought she may not get a chance to go to state because of the influx of incoming freshmen who she knew were quite good.

She was ready to take one for the team, though.

“Lizzy she’s a fighter,” Vraney said. “She’s positive. She really wants to learn. She asks questions. She just wants to get better.” “Lizzy’s style of play had to shift,” Vraney added. “... She didn’t complain. She just wanted to do what was best for the team.”