Team leaders aren’t the only ones who can produce inspired efforts.
On the men’s basketball team, for instance, sophomore forward Mike Bruesewitz brought energy to the court from the bench.
On seemingly every team, there are role players who bring that special something to the squad to keep spirits up and make key plays in crunch time.
For the Wisconsin women’s tennis team, senior Jessica Seyferth and sophomore Hannah Berner team up to bring that special something in the middle of the lineup.
Seyferth and Berner have been a solid pairing at the No. 2 doubles spot all season, boasting a 14-3 record.
“To be honest with you the only ones that probably know that they have that many wins are them,” said head coach Brian Fleishman. “Everybody else is caught up in trying to get their own record better. I think it’s a positive spot for us because they’re right in the middle of our lineup in singles and doubles and it’s kind of inspirational for the rest of the team.”
Off to one of their better starts in the last several seasons, Seyferth and Berner have been a consistent bright spot on the squad.
While the Badgers as a whole have been relatively successful in doubles play going 35-19, Seyferth and Berner boast an 82.4 winning percentage this season.
Playing to two different strengths, the duo compliment each other, which has only helped build their confidence.
“I did know that I wanted to make sure that Jess had a partner she was comfortable with going into her senior season,” Fleishman said. “I knew what Jess’s capabilities were, I knew what Hannah’s capabilities are and they kind of mesh really well. One’s an extremely powerful player – Jessica – a lot of velocity on her ball and of course Hannah has a lot of finesse. The combination of those two things make a good doubles team.”
“I think getting off to a good start was really key to build that confidence in our doubles pairing,” Seyferth added. “We both have really good chemistry and know our roles on the court. I think we compliment each other really well and the more we’ve been winning the more confident we’ve been getting.”
Even when they have faced trouble, they have been able to keep each other motivated.
“It’s very positive on the court,” Fleishman said. “They compliment each other really well. It’s exciting tennis. They handle adversity really well. They pump each other up if one’s not playing well, makes the other person smile or laugh. It’s a good combination, sort of like a good marriage between the two of them.”
Seyferth feels the confidence and success she’s had with Berner on the court can also translate to her singles game.
Having sat out only one match so far this season in singles play, Seyferth holds a 10-7 record.
Berner has had a little more success with a 12-6 record in singles play and holds a solid 10-3 record at the No. 4 spot. Only freshman Jenny Hois has a better record at 12-5.
For Seyferth her success this year is a positive step from last year.
“Last year I kind of struggled a little bit in doubles,” Seyferth said. “I’ve always loved doubles. Going out with a winning record and to keep winning is really important. I think that can translate into singles. It’s important for me to finish strong individually and as a team. Every year I’ve looked to hopefully improve in the Big Ten standings. You’ve got to give it everything you have, it’s my last year.”
Last season Seyferth finished 11-19 in singles matches and 12-16 in doubles.
Berner faced a similar finish in doubles play finishing 15-18, but had the opposite result in singles, finishing her freshman season strong with a 20-11 record.
Having lost only a few matches this season – one of which was this past weekend – their past adversity has only helped them grow stronger as a duo.
“Even though we split this weekend it’s OK,” Seyferth said. “We didn’t play bad. Now we know what we have to work on this week and go back out there this weekend. I think our confidence is really high right now and now we know that our team can depend on us.”
With only a handful of regular season matches left, Seyferth and Berner hope to continue their success and stay solid for their team.
“We have really good energy out there and we have fun at the same time,” Seyferth said. “We’re competitive. We both have the same mindset and will do anything to win.”
