First team state berth, most individual qualifiers ever
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
In Burlington, the high school volleyball teams dominate the headlines along with the football teams.
Winning state titles will bring your program notoriety and respect.
For decades, the Burlington girls tennis squad has been fighting for this respect. Many girls came out for the team just for fun, and reaching sectionals was a long shot, let along state.
Until this year.
Last weekend, the squad made history, winning the Badger Sectional as a team and qualifying five girls for the individual state meet.
Coach Rose Dolatowski has been in the trenches teaching tennis for 25 years, and she can finally take an entire team to Madison. Long hours working with the city’s recreation department every summer have paid off.
The Lady Demons are now a force to be reckoned with, and they are increasing the town’s already excellent fall sports culture.
“We’re playing real tennis, which is a new thing for Burlington,” Dolatowski said with a smile on her face Tuesday at Four Lakes Athletic Club in Elkhorn. “They aren’t just playing for fun anymore. It’s pretty darn exciting. It’s been a long road, but it’s a great journey.”
Dolatowski was in control at the indoor practice Tuesday at FLAC, making sure her girls were working on strokes and play at the net. She even grabbed a racket and hit with them and was just as good if not better.
Freshman Lacey Londre (No. 1 singles), seniors Alli Zeman and Olivia Leuck (No. 1 doubles) and the team of senior Sierra Koenen and junior Lydia Crabtree (No. 2 doubles) will represent the Demons at this weekend’s individual state tournament, which starts today at Nielsen tennis stadium on the UW-Madison campus.
Next weekend, all seven flights will participate in the team state event in Madison, a first for the school.
At 18-5 overall, the Demons have shined all season, and everything they do is with team in mind.
“We were a little divided last year,” said Koenen, whose doubles team is 30-2. “We really came together as a team this year. We wanted to make team state for Rose. She is like a kid herself, and I like that.”
“We always work on improving,” Crabtree said.
Crabtree and Koenen lost in subsectionals last season to Waterford. Last weekend, it was sweet revenge as the team toppled the Wolverines to win the sectional.
Crabtree said the team builds chemistry through pasta parties the night before matches. For her and Koenen, offseason work has come in handy this season.
“We learned mental toughness at the UW-Whitewater camp,” Koenen said. “You can’t show your emotions on the court. You have to use your best poker face.”
“We can tell if we’re mad at each other,” Crabtree said. “So we can joke around to lighten things up. We’re over stuff by the next point.”
Dolatowski said her No. 2 doubles squad is a very steady team that doesn’t make any mistakes.
At No. 1 doubles, Zeman and Leuck advanced to state last year and were simply happy to be there. This year, they want to make some noise.
“We have so much fun on the court and we know each other so well,” said Zeman, whose duo is 19-7 this season. “Not a lot of people know about us yet, but they will. We are a well-rounded team.”
“I am so excited,” Leuck said. “We are out to prove last year was no fluke.”
Londre (20-10) is following in the the footsteps of her big sister, Stephanie, who currently plays for UW-Green Bay. Stephanie qualified for state for the Demons from 2008-11.
“I learned everything from Stephanie,” Lacey said. “My ultimate goal is to play college tennis. State has been my goal for the last four years. I like the competition.”
For Lacey, it’s about working hard every day to improve. She said the entire team has that mentality.
“Everything we do is team-oriented,” she said. “We cheer each other up, and we practice every day for two hours.”
A great coach
The girls sang Dolatowski’s praises Tuesday.
It isn’t necessarily just her expertise, her encouragement or her constructive criticism. It’s all these things combined with a child-like passion for the sport that ignites this team to perform at the highest level.
“Rose is happier than all of us combined,” Leuck said. “The team has been waiting for this. Rose has worked with us for four years. She built it up, and it’s our year to shine. They’re like a second family to me.”
Zeman admires Dolatowski’s ability to switch between coach and cheerleader seamlessly.
“She’s an intense coach,” Zeman said. “But she knows when compliments are due. She keeps us thinking as a team and thinking positive. We’ve grown with her, and we know her well.”
“She’s constantly pushing us, but she will congratulate you when it’s the right time,” Koenen said.
For years, tennis has been the secondary sport for many of these athletes. Now, it’s the favorite pastime for many of the girls. This season, there were 50 girls out for the program.
“We have so many multi-sport athletes,” Zeman said. “All of us are pretty intelligent, too, and we work hard in school. It’s impressive we can make state with all that stuff going on.”
Dolatowski said these girls saw Stephanie Londre’s success and wanted to emulate her.
“They got hungry,” Dolatowski said. “They started playing more. There isn’t much of a gap between these players.”
The high school, which was built in 2000, has opened the doors to more community involvement and interest in tennis in general.
“Team state is huge for the school,” Dolatowski said. “Now people will know we have another fall sport. Once the courts and the new football stadium were built, we were much more visible. Many more adults in the community are playing on the courts.”
Last year at state, the team bonded over chicken wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. Leuck said the atmosphere was intimidating. This year, however, the Lady Demons feel like they belong on the biggest stage with the state’s best.
“Last year was so nerve-wracking,” Leuck said. “This year we know what to expect. We will be surrounded by amazing players, and it’s intimidating, but I’m ready.”
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