2013 DAILY NEWS GIRLS TENNIS DOUBLES TEAM OF THE YEAR WEST BEND EAST S HAILEE DASSOW AND ELIZABETH BENSEN Duo shines in first year together on the hard court STORY 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 opening round 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. Photo by John Ehlke/Daily News Staff BOYS BASKETBALL: EAST 65, KML 62 Suns squeeze past Chargers in double OT KML loses 2nd overtime game of season By ADAM LINDEMER Daily News Staff West Bend East and Kettle Moraine Lutheran were glad they scheduled their nonconference boys basketball game Tuesday. The two sides battled through a double-overtime game and the Suns came away with a thrilling 65 62 doubleove rtime victory. This is one of the better games that I have been a part of, East coach Ryan Tomczyk said. These two teams were evenly matched and both were hungry for a win. KML fell to 0-2 on the young season, with both losses coming in overtime. Losing is never easy, KML coach Todd Jahns said. I told the boys that this will toughen them up physically and mentally and get us ready for what s down the road. The Chargers got off to a fast start and held a seven-point advantage after the first quarter and led by six at halftime. We were knocking down shots early and getting baskets in transition early, Jahns said. We got off to the right start. The Suns were able to cut down the deficit to one point after the third quarter, by taking away some of those transition baskets. We extended our defense a little and that helped, Tomczyk said. And I wanted to be more aggressive on offense. I challenged the kids at halftime and they took it to heart. They made the plays and found a way
to win. The extra periods in a basketball game is something that most coaches want to avoid. There s not a good way to practice the overtime situation and you kind of just have to deal with it if and when the time comes. You can t simulate everything in practice, Jahns said. There are just some things you can t cover, but this game will help us in the future. During the first overtime period, the two sides exchanged baskets in the four-minute span and a second overtime was needed. The lead went back and forth a few times in the period and East s biggest lead was at 64-60 with one minute left in the second overtime. East exposed a lot of things for us, Jahns said. In overtime games, you have to play at a higher level and the margin for error is very slim. Both sides made big shots, but East was able to make more, as well as hit clutch free throws down the stretch. After our last game, we spent most of our Saturday practice shooting free throws, Tomczyk said. I wanted to put in extra time for that. We made enough to win. The Suns got help from Kyle Rebholz, who made both a clutch shot and free throws late in the second overtime. Kyle hit a big 3-pointer and made some key free throws, Tomczyk said. He did a tremendous job of stepping up. That s a guy we re going to need off the bench, offensively. Rebholz finished with nine points, while the Suns were led by Ben Vande Zande s 17 points. Alex Manhardt added 11 points and Collin Liebherr had 10. What I want them to try and take away from this is that you never know when your moment is going to come, Jahns said. And we play these types of nonconference games to get us ready for conference. I don t know how much you can learn by winning nonconference games by 25 points. They are 0-2 and they take that personally, Jahns added. Hopefully they can use this as motivation. Steve Seider led all scorers with 22 points for the Chargers including four 3pointers while Jared Henning and Ethan Bublitz each had 11 points. EAST 65, KML 62, (2OT) KML...17 14 10 11 2 8 62 East...10 15 15 12 2 11 65 KML (62) Ethan Bublitz 3 4-4 11, Zach Nelsen 3 1-5 7, Steve Seider 7 4-4 22, Ethan Wolff 1 3-4 5, Jared Henning 5 0-0 11, Evan Rusch 0 1-4 1, CJ Niemann 1 2-2 5; Totals:20 15-23 62. East (65) Austin Diaz 3 0-2 6, Hayden Steinhardt 3 2-3 8, Ben Vande Zande 5 5-5 17, Kyle Rebholz 2 3-4 9, Zach Biermann 1 2-3 4, Collin Liebherr 5 0-0 10, Alex Manhardt 3 5-10 11.Totals: 22 17-27 65. Three-pointers KML 7 (Seider 4, Bublitz, Henning, Niemann), WBE 4 (Vande Zande 2, Rebholz 2); Team Fouls KML 19, WBE 15; Fouled Out WBE (Liebherr). Rebholz Hennig
Students deeds not overlooked School touts young leaders By LINDA MCALPINE Daily News Staff Don t try to tell Silverbrook Middle School students Sophie Lenz, Lori Hess, Libby Willkomm, Calliana Wickus and Malorie Wolf that they are too young to make a difference. They would prove you wrong. These five students, ages 12 and 13, are active volunteers in their school and the community in ways that might surprise adults. Eighth-grader Sophie Lenz spent the last school year mentoring a fifth-grade student who had problems socializing. I didn t really tutor her, it was more like just sitting and talking with her, Sophie said Wednesday. She would bring me her problems and I would do my best to give her advice. She told me she was being bullied at school, and I shared that with our school counselors, but I also was able to help her with her anger control issues, so she wouldn t lash out when the other students said harsh things to her, Sophie added. I told her when she got mad to count to 10 in her head and take a deep breath. I also told her that if she felt like crying, she should excuse herself and go to the restroom until she feels calmer. Lenz Hess Willkomm Wickus Wolf Because the fifth-grader had few friends, Sophie introduced her to some of hers. She didn t know how to act to be someone s friend so when she met mine, she could see how we interacted, Sophie said. Silverbrook Middle School counselor Sue Milkus said Sophie documented 20 hours volunteering with the fifth-grader, a number she said is likely low. Lori Hess, 13, puts her leadership skills to use on the Student Council. I like planning things for the school to do, like the dances and food drives, she said. Lori tutors younger students, a task she does as a member of the National Junior Honor Society at school. During the summer, Lori assisted the West Bend Community Memorial Library s summer reading program. Libby Willkomm, 12, is also a Student Council member and volunteers in school settings, but she also gives of her time and talents to community organizations, like making blankets for Project Linus. She is passionate, however, on the topic of bullying. I volunteer a lot to raise awareness about bullying, Libby said, adding that she and a classmate created a PowerPoint program about bullying presented to younger students. Calliana Wickus, 12, said she started volunteering when she was a little kid. I was about 7 or 8 years old when I started making bookmarks and selling them to raise money for different charities, Calliana said. Through her volunteer activities, Calliana, a seventh- grader, manages to relate to all ages. Our school s Builders Club goes to Cedar Community and I love that, Calliana said. I really like listening to the older people there. They may not have anyone to visit them and its fun going there to see them and they are so nice.
Calliana also volunteers to babysit at the meetings of the PTO at Allenton Elementary School, where her mother is the principal. Malorie Wolf, 12, volunteers in her church, usually tending to the 3 and 4 year olds, and also visits the senior citizens at Cedar Community. All five said they would recommend that their peers get involved by volunteering for school activities or in the community. It makes me crazy when kids say that it isn t cool to volunteer, Libby said. It is cool because you can make a difference and you can have an impact, and no one should think that they don t have the skills to volunteer. There are all kinds of things to do. Volunteering makes you feel good about yourself, that you are doing something for someone else and you never know what kind of impact that can have, Lori said. Sophie said volunteering gives young people a chance to make changes and to participate in things outside of themselves. All agreed they have also learned much from their volunteer activities. It s a great way to learn how to communicate, Malorie said. All five were recognized Wednesday at Silverbrook Middle School for their volunteer efforts, Milkus said. They are such good role models, she added. 2013 DAILY NEWS ALL-AREA GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM PLAYER OF THE YEAR WEST BEND EAST S NATALIE GEIDEL Senior transforms her game after sophomore season STORY BY NICHOLAS DETTMANN DAILY NEWS SPORTS EDITOR Natalie Geidel had one plan. Her volleyball coach at West Bend East, Colleen Hasse, had a different plan. Going into her junior season, Geidel, an outside hitter, was ready to make an impact on a team buzzing with talent and potential. I was really comfortable hitting at the outside position, Geidel said. Then, leading up to the start of the 2011 season, Hasse pulled her budding star aside and told her she was going to take her out of her comfort zone. From the moment I knew Natalie was coming in as a freshman, I had a plan for her, Hasse said. My long-term goal was to see her as a middle (hitter). For the first few years (of varsity), I had to get her used to the higher intensity. The revelation by the coach to Geidel didn t sit well at first. I was kind of mad, Geidel said. When she told me I was going to the middle, I wasn t looking forward to it. She even asked and begged her coach: Is there another option? I was kind of stuck there, Geidel said. The move paid off for East s volleyball team and allowed Geidel to take her game to another level. Geidel was voted the 2013 Daily News All-Area Girls Volleyball Player of the Year by area coaches and the Daily News sports staff. I m psyched, she said. It s a huge honor because of all the work I ve put into the program for four years and the dedication to the team. It paid off. This season, Geidel emerged as one of the stars on a team that won 40 matches and boasted nine seniors, including six returning starters. She had 316 kills this season, with a 52.6 kill percentage. She averaged 2.6 kills per game and
had 71 blocks. Geidel was also named the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference Player of the Year this offseason and second-team All-State by the state coaches association. As a junior, Geidel was honorable mention All-State in her first year as a middle. I was really surprised when I found out I got All-state; my jaw almost dropped, she said of her junior year nod. I think that boosted my confidence to a whole new level. She played at a new level this season. She had the drive, Hasse said about why she believed Geidel was best suited to be a middle. (Middle hitters) have to have the personality and the never-die attitude and can t get frustrated. That speaks to her as an athlete, Hasse added. She s got a lot of goals. When she sets her mind to it, she really accomplishes a lot of it. It didn t surprise me she was able to be effective. Geidel and Hasse had to work through some frustration early in Geidel s junior season. For about three or four years, Geidel has been battling asthma. She was able to work through it on the volleyball court as a freshman and sophomore. Being an outside hitter, that player has an area it has to cover. As a middle, a player must be mobile, able to go from left to right or vice versa quickly, covering a lot more ground. For Geidel, going through those drills at practice was exhausting. At first, it was very, very hard, Geidel said. We d do a couple drills and I would be so out of breath. It was a tough spot for Geidel and Hasse. As a three-sport athlete, also competing in basketball and softball, Geidel didn t want to quit out of the fear of letting her teammates down. Nor did she want them to think she was getting special treatment. As for Hasse, she didn t want anything to happen to Geidel, while still trying to groom Geidel into the player she believed she could be. You always have to look at the health of the athletes, Hasse said. It was really getting to know what she could handle. I will push them (in practice), but she had to tell me when it was too much. It took me getting to know her and understand the kind of individual she was. Both weren t ready to give up, though. Geidel s physical stamina eventually came around and got to a point where she could compete at a high level. Then the fun part: playing the position against people other than teammates. I really had to change to my mindset, Geidel said. It was something I had to work on. The middle is definitely the most difficult position in the front row, Hasse said. She took it in stride. She watched and she listened. Geidel was also a bit undersized for the position, often going up against girls who were either taller or had longer arms than she did. It was a huge adjustment, Geidel said. I really had to adjust my shot. It s a faster game, Hasse said. You re blocking the whole net. As she got used to the position, she developed into a well-rounded player, which made her an appealing draw for college coaches. Before last season, she signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Viterbo University in La Crosse. Hasse didn t want Geidel to look to the other side of the net and be intimidated. I wanted her to be the one that people would say Natalie s the one that s good, Hasse said.
Daily News file photo West Bend East s Natalie Geidel is the 2013 Daily News All-Area Girls Volleyball Player of the Year. Photo by John Ehlke/Daily News Staff