by LARRY VAUGHT
“She was one of the top five outside hitters in the country in her class. Then the first six-on-six practice we had she goes down (with a knee injury) before we went to Japan (for an exhibition trip),” Skinner said. “She hits incredibly hard. She can play all the way around. She can play defense. She can pass.
“Obviously her first position is on the left (side) but we have established players in (All-American) Brooklyn DeLeye and (Purdue transfer) Eva Hudson. We are gonna give her (Benjamin) some chances on the right side. She’s probably not as comfortable blocking on the right but athletically she can pick it up. I don’t think she even knows yet where she’s going to be but she’s going to die trying to help us.”
Benjamin said it was “taxing” to only be able to watch last season when Kentucky won another Southeastern Conference title and reached the Elite Eight before losing at Pittsburgh.
“In high school, we’re all used to playing all the time. You’re used to being a star. Everybody on this team was a star in their high school, so coming in first practice, landing wrong and getting hurt definitely set me back,” Benjamin said. “It really drew me into my faith personally, and I grew a lot and learned to just trust in the Lord’s timing and that it’s all gonna be okay. That really helped me push through and helped me just support my teammates when they were having their moments. But it was really hard getting hurt even before the exhibition trip.”
Even though she was not playing, Benjamin enthusiastically interacted with teammates during games.
“It’s so much fun being on this team. I love them. These girls love me, and it pushed me (during rehab). I just want to do the best I could to make them feel appreciated,” Benjamin said.
The redshirt freshman said she was able to observe last year what mentality she needed to play in the SEC. She believes her overall knowledge of the game grew and she learned how to trust the process/system by focusing on just one thing at a time.
“I’m just remembering all those little things that I saw come into play that can help make me a better player now that I will be back out there,” she said.
Benjamin notes that fans will get to judge how good she is when the season starts — the first regular season match is Aug. 30 at Lipscomb.
“I’m very competitive. I’m really energetic. I love to just encourage people and be there for them, and I love to just play my heart out in every game. I leave nothing on the floor,” she said.
Kentucky lost four-year starters Emma Grome and Eleanor Beavin off last year’s team but seems to have an even deeper, more talented team this season.
“I think we have a lot of potential. I think we’re still learning. We have six new players, so it’s been a lot of learning experiences,” she said. “I think we’ll be in the Final Four, and hopefully win the national championship.”
Junior libero Molly Tuozzo thinks Benjamin could play a big role in that national title quest.
“She’s an amazing athlete. She’s worked so hard to get back on her feet with her training and treatment and getting the extra reps to get back where she left off,” Tuozzo said. “She’s such a great athlete already, and she’s only gonna get better. I think she could be really special this year.”
