Not all journeys in sports are the same, and for Elizabeth Ensminger, a senior math education major, after five years her journey is coming to an end at Waynesburg University.

Ensminger started her sports journey as a child in gymnastics, but as junior in high school she joined the tennis team with a friend.

“One of my friends just invited me to play tennis with them and I had time to do it and I was pretty good at it so I went for it,” Ensminger said.

After graduation, to save some money for her schooling, Ensminger went to community college and coached children in gymnastics at Messiah College in her free time. After two years of coaching gymnastics and going to a Hartsburg Area Community College, she transferred to Waynesburg and went back to play the game she started in high school.

“I didn’t get to play at [community college] so, I wanted to play again and just have something to do and be a part of a team,” Ensminger said. “It was really nice for sure and jumping into a team and making friends that way.”

Then, two years ago, Waynesburg women’s tennis underwent some changes after then head coach Ron Christman stepped down and Ron Headlee, who also serves as the head wrestling coach, stepped in to fill the hole. Before Headlee’s first year, seven seniors left making his first year a rebuild year and Ensminger is one that made that transition much smoother, according to Headlee.

“She’s probably one of the ones instrumental in helping me get transferred over [to tennis],” Headlee said. “[She] just told me how they’ve done things in the past and it was really helpful with me switching over to tennis and now as one of my student workers…and does an excellent job up here now. [She’s] very helpful to me with the tennis program.”

After seven seniors graduated, Ensminger rose to the top of the depth chart and it was new experience for the then-junior.

“I think I could have done a little better, but I had fun and met a lot of great people,” Ensminger said.

Headlee speaks highly of Ensminger and thinks that she would make a wonderful teacher along with a great coach if she were to continue down that path. Even today, Ensminger helps with recruiting—sending out letters and reaching out to other players to come to practices.

“Sending out letters to recruits and many of those different things our student athletes do,” Headlee said. “She helps organize the girls for this week always texting them and encouraging them to get to practice.”

As her time at Waynesburg winds down, Ensminger has enjoyed her journey, the time she spent at Waynesburg University and the new coach made those times even more fun.

“It was just amazing to have that opportunity and to have that new coach over those past two years—coach Headlee made it really fun,” Ensminger said.

Ensminger has a job with Margaret Bell Miller Middle School for the rest of this year but does not have plans on where she will be next year.