草莓社区 men鈥檚 volleyball senior聽聽(Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) not only leads the men鈥檚 Continental Volleyball Conference with his total digs, but he is also noted for his passion on the court and fearless defense.
In last Saturday鈥檚 win over Thiel, Buller had 10 digs before adding 13 digs later that day in a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Messiah. As the libero on the team, he leads the team with 259 digs on the season (2.91 per set).
鈥淚t was absolutely an emotional experience,鈥� he said, reflecting on his final matches of the season in Yoder Arena on Saturday. 鈥淭he two matches were extremely fun to play in, especially the Messiah match. It honestly hasn鈥檛 hit me that those were the final matches because we are pushing to be the one seed in the conference and host the tournament!鈥�
Not only did the Royals enjoy the two wins, but also the atmosphere in the arena was full of energy as the crowd cheered on the team.
鈥淚n my four seasons here, I have never seen the gym like that,鈥� Buller said. 鈥淚t was an incredible experience that I feel honored to be a part of. It warms my heart to see some many people come out to support the seniors and the team in our last regular season match.鈥�
One challenge faced during his time with Eastern Mennonite is the changing of the coaching staff. In his career at EMU, he has had three different coaches, with three different coaching types.
鈥淭hey have all brought a different mentality to the game that we have all grown from in some fashion,” he said. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 staff has brought a whole level of competition in practice that we have not seen in our last couple years and it has taken some time to all get ahead to that level.鈥�
Despite the recent changing of coaching staff, head coach Danielle Lickey has had the opportunity to work with Buller since his time in high school. She notes that his commitment to the sport and competitive nature make him a great asset to the team.
鈥淗e plays a selfless position,鈥� Lickey explained, 鈥淟iberos get very little of the glory, but Micah prides himself and his play on what he allows others on the court to do. He is also a caring, kind, and fun teammate and player. I’ve known him for seven years already, having coached him when he was in high school, but I continue to be amazed at the growth and development he makes every day and I feel lucky to have been able to coach him again and get to know him even further as an young adult.鈥�
Looking back on his time playing for EMU, Buller notes that his fondest memory is the win over Marymount last year. He also adds that last year鈥檚 losses are what have pushed him to improve his game in his final season.
鈥淟ast season we started to lose the drive and focus toward the end of the season,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t the end of this season we are focused on pushing through to the end and showing everyone that we deserve to be on top of the conference and making the NCAA Tournament.鈥�
Approaching the final six matches, he hopes to continue improving his game not only physically but mentally as well.
鈥淔or me this season has been more gaining mental strength – making sure to be mentally ready and focused before every practice to play to the best of my ability for myself and the team. And then using that drive to ready myself for the matches.鈥�
Lickey adds that one of buller鈥檚 special qualities has always been his mental strength and perseverance.
鈥淗is intelligence allows him to process mistakes and find a way to get better,鈥� she explained. 鈥淗e has worked really hard this year changing the way he plays the game, based on new coaching, and he has done so seamlessly. He is great leader on the court, with his energy, drive and positivity being things his team depends on him for.鈥�