Justin Reesor ’10 grew up in a Mennonite family in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, where he played volleyball in middle and high school. His cousin, Allan Reesor-McDowell ’02, played on the EMU men’s volleyball team—and Reesor had traveled to see him play at a tournament in New York. His uncle, Robert Reesor ’89, and sister, Denise Reesor ’07, also attended EMU.

While visiting his sister, Reesor fell in love with the EMU campus and Harrisonburg. “I thought it was a beautiful area, and I liked the idea of a small college with smaller classes and easier access to professors.” Reesor arrived in fall 2006 prioritizing academics and his social life, but after walking on during a scrimmage, he spent four years as a middle blocker on the EMU men’s volleyball team under Coach Steve Benson.��

Reesor made an immediate impact. In his first season, he was named the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Western Conference Rookie of the Year and EMU Newcomer of the Year. He earned spots on the NECVA All-Western Division Second Team in 2009 and the NECVA All-Western First Team in 2010. At the time of his graduation, Reesor led the Royals in career blocks (462) and sets played (406), and ranked fifth in career kills (867). 

While at EMU, Reesor majored in business administration and minored in accounting. He now serves as senior director of finance at Accumulus Synergy. He and his wife, Rachel Mast Reesor ’09, have three children: Emma (10), June (7), and Charlie (4). 

Reesor will be honored at a ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 10 a.m. in the MainStage Theater (University Commons 170) during Homecoming 2025. For a full schedule of Homecoming events and activities, visit��emu.edu/homecoming.

They say the 30th anniversary is supposed to be pearl, but this year, all the EMU men’s volleyball team wants for its anniversary is to see their alumni.  

The men’s volleyball team will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Saturday, Jan. 15 with activities and celebrations throughout the day.

“Talking with former EMU athletes is one of my favorite activities, especially when we meet on campus,” said Director of Athletics Dave King. “Being here seems to create a flood of memories and stories. So I am really excited to welcome back to campus former men’s volleyball players for this historic celebration of 30 years. Unfortunately, COVID has delayed the planning process and may impact the event.”

The celebration will kick off at 9 am, with exhibition matches between the current EMU team, Southern Virginia, Randolph-Macon and EMU MVB alumni. During this time, alumni have the choice of joining in the play, either recreationally or competitively.

After that, at noon, it’s time for the main attraction and lots of bragging rights when the alumni take on this year’s squad inside Yoder Arena. During this time, all of the alumni present will also be recognized. Then, when the match is complete, there will be a team and alumni meal to give guests the opportunity to catch up while also meeting the newest Royals.  

The team may be celebrating 30 years, but they have the wisdom, experience and success of a much older team. Started in 1991, the team has racked up 337 wins and made four NCAA tournament appearances. The team also boasts two Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championships, an EIVA Player and Coach of the Year and two North East Collegiate Volleyball Association runner-up finishes.

“Besides reconnecting with teammates and coaches, the event is intended to honor those who started the program and built the foundation,” King said. “EMU was ahead of the times when they added men’s volleyball in 1991. I want to recognize and honor the vision that Sandy Brownscombe and the administration had to start a sports program that no other ODAC school sponsored at that time. That was and continues to be a gift to the university and the young men who have learned valuable lessons through playing this sport. It provided recruiting advantages and exciting competition for the community to watch.”

Team alumni have been contacted ahead of this event, but if you forgot to RSVP, please email alumni@emu.edu or call 540-432-4589.

Two EMU men’s volleyball players earned a spot on this year’s Continental Volleyball Conference All-Academic Team.

Junior  (Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) claimed his third consecutive All-Academic honor. Senior  (Puerto Montt, Chile/German School Puerto Montt) earned a repeat spot on the team.

A total of 60 student-athletes made the CVC All-Academic Team this year. In order for a player to earn All-Academic Team honors he must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average.

Read more:

SOFTBALL

‘s (Broadway, Va./Broadway) explosive season has yielded one final award, as the EMU junior was named All-State Second Team by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID).

Lantz, who played at first base and designated player for the Eastern Mennonite softball team, was one of the best hitters in the state, batting .464 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs in just 18 games. Adding five doubles, she had a huge .929 slugging percentage to go with a .508 on-base percentage.

Lantz returned to the Royals’ roster in early April, and the missed games left her just shy of the benchmark to appear in season average categories; otherwise she would have finished No. 9 in the nation in slugging percentage, and top-3 in the ODAC in batting, on-base and slugging. Despite playing 10-15 less games than most other players, Lantz tied for the ODAC lead in homers during regular season.

She led EMU in batting, on-base, slugging, runs and RBIs, and was second in hits and doubles. She hit four homers in a three-game stretch against Lynchburg and Ferrum, and then batted 8-for-10 with three home runs and seven RBIs over the final three games of the season. Lantz also committed just one error in 75 total chances in the field.

This is the first All-State honor for Lantz. She was also named All-ODAC Second Team this spring, matching a similar honor from 2019.

This spring, EMU Athletics has been celebrating alumni-athletes working in the health care professions.

“It has been so exciting to reconnect with former Royals  for this special social media campaign highlighting the outstanding work being done in the health care field,” said Director of Athletics Dave King. “And it has been very rewarding to hear the ways in which athletics prepared and shaped them for their current work.  I hope you are as inspired as I was in reading their responses.”

To view the entire series, visit the .

To join the series, send us a note in the comment box below and we’ll get in touch with you!

Below are a few of the more than 25 alumni-athletes. Scroll down to view a complete list (as of 3/24/2021). Thanks to James DeBoer, director of athletics communication for his work on this project.

Martin Pou ’20, Volleyball

Now: Assistant to the practice manager, Shenandoah Valley Gastroenterology

Lesson: Clear and quick communication is crucial both on the court and in the medical field.

Julie Kratz McElwee ’85, BNS ’86, Field Hockey

Now: Emergency department chair, Lewis Gale Hospital Montgomery, Christiansburg, Va.

Lesson: The importance of relationships and knowing who is behind you, to give support, when things are not going well.

Tyler Denlinger ’18, Cross Country/ Track & Field

Now: Vaccines process development engineer, Merck Pharmaceutical, Elkton, Va.

Lesson: I have found the lesson of “enjoy what you do” to hold a lasting effect from my time at EMU. There are few things in my life I hold more dearly than my experience with the EMU track and field squad. I love running and T&F, and that love enabled my teammates and I to collectively accomplish a lot of really difficult tasks…I found that my love of the sport and my desire to achieve goals  were useful in propelling me to accomplish unpleasant tasks such as lifting after a hard workout. This directly applies to my work setting—while I do not love every  aspect of my job, my passion for the end goal makes the unpleasant aspects more bearable.

Rachel Sturm ’18, Soccer/Track & Field

Now: Registered nurse, UVA Medical ICU/Special Pathogen ICU, Charlottesville, Va.

Lesson: I learned that I needed to stop worrying about society’s standards of success and focus on what God’s successes were for me. At the time there was so much pressure on my shoulders to be a successful athlete and a successful student. It’s hard to succeed in both, as one usually has to take over the other. In my case I had to choose my career to become a nurse. Yet, I never stopped giving it my all in academics and sports, which created a lot of frustration when I failed in my sport. Now I look back and realize, God gave me the talent to play college sports to introduce me to the people he wanted in my life. To give me the experiences I needed to grow into the woman and leader I am now. To let me learn failure and to strive from it. All these little things are God’s achievements for me.

Brooke Hensley ‘14, Softball

Now: Emergency department team coordinator, Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

Lesson: The importance of playing together as a team to be successful because you cannot do it all on your own. Throughout my career, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been vital to work as a team in providing patient care in order to promote positive outcomes and save lives.

Laura Rosenberger ‘03, Track & Field

Now: Surgeon, associate professor of surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Lesson: EMU Athletics taught me how to be resilient during adversity and perseverance. Thankful for dedicated coaches and supportive teammates. Feels so pertinent to life right now in a pandemic!

Jess Rheinheimer Bishop ‘16, Basketball

Now: Registered Nurse, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pa.

Lesson: I learned many lessons from the basketball court but one that sticks out from Coach Griff is that you are the driver to your own success –  no one else can determine how successful you are going to be in life or in sports. You get out what you put in.

Katie Lehman Maust ‘09, Soccer

Now: Emergency department RN, Sentara RMH / Paramedic and training lieutenant, Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, Harrisonburg, Va.

Lesson: As an athlete, I was so thankful to be surrounded by people who were courageous, tenacious, hardworking, and supportive. Being part of a healthcare team has a lot of similarities to being on an athletics team and I aspire to carry those traits of great team members into my roles in the healthcare system.

Thanks to ALL of our Royals athletes working to make this world a safer place!

From left: Brent Yoder ’12, soccer, physical therapist and co-owner of Yoder Physical Therapy and Wellness in Sarasota, Fla.

Emily Augsburger ’18, field hockey, CCU Registered Nurse, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pa.

Jackson Maust ’09, soccer, physical therapist at Augusta Health, working in outpatient therapy and in acute care in the hospital, including with COVID patients; also a captain and life member of Harrisonburg Rescue Squad (Jackson is married to Katie, featured above).

Jamey Groff ’98, volleyball, oncology pharmacist, Hahn Cancer Center, Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

Jessica Blanks Jaindl ’13, field hockey, registered nurse at Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

From left: Juni Schirch Sauder ’16, cross country/track and field, athletics testing coordinator, EMU.

Laura Rittenhouse ’20, soccer, registered nurse, cardiac care, UVa Hospital.

Laurie Serrell ’19, cross country/track and field, registered nurse with Spanish interpreters training, Sentara RMH.

Leah Lapp ’20, triathlon, associate chemist, Merck Pharmaceutical, Elkton, Va.; attending Liberty University School of Osteopathic Medicine, fall 2021.

Linda Cimini Boesch ’11, field hockey/track and field, critical care RN, St. Luke’s University Health System, Chalfont, Pa.

Lisa King Burkholder ’08, RN, Sentara RMH and instructor of nursing, EMU, Harrisonburg, Va.

Mariah Foltz ’17, softball, RN, Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

Mariah Martin ’17, field hockey, labor and deliver nurse, Sentara RMH, Harrisonburg, Va.

Nolan Prock ’12, volleyball, veterinarian, Healthy Pets Veterinary Care, Boca Raton, Fla.

R.J. Ocampo ’19, volleyball, EMT with Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad, Virginia Beach, Va.

Rodney Eshleman ’88, soccer, ICU nurse, Augusta Health, Fishersville, Va.

Sylvia Mast ’19, soccer, ED technician, Sentara RMH and EMT, Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, Harrisonburg, Va.

Seniors����(Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) and����(Greenville, Va./Riverheads) were honored as multiple repeat selections earning the award each season they were in the volleyball program. Joining the two seniors are freshmen����(Gloucester, Va./Gloucester) and����(Richmond, Va./Our Lady of Peace).

A total of 67 student-athletes made the CVC All-Academic Team this year. In order for a player to earn All-Academic Team honors he must carry at least a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average.

The Royals finished the 2019 season with a record of 4-19. Despite battling through a tough schedule, this young team finished one win shy of reaching the six-team tourney in D-III’s most balanced conference.

Abele, a senior playing multiple roles for the men’s volleyball team this year, helped the Royals to pair of conference wins before a career effort��in Monday’s match against Wittenberg. He hammered 18 kills in just three sets, averaging 6.0 kills per set, and added 11 digs with five blocks. The block total tied his career high, while the 18 kills was easily the most in a three-set match and just one shy of his overall career high of 19.

Seeing time as an opposite hitter as well as setter, Abele has achieved a rare fete for the season, totaling more than 100 kills, 100 assists and 100 digs.

He was also named CVC Player of the Week during his freshman campaign in 2016.

At 3-5 in CVC play, EMU is making a late-season surge in the conference standings. The Royals play one final non-conference tri-match in New Paltz, N.Y., on Saturday, getting No. 7 SUNY New Paltz and St. John Fisher, before finishing the season with three straight home CVC matches. That stretch starts Wednesday, March 20, with a Rowdy Royals Match against Randolph-Macon.

Ocampo, a three-year starter at middle hitter for Eastern Mennonite, travelled to Brazil��June 11-20, playing volleyball and learning about the culture.

Initially,��Ocampo��was connected to the touring group of USA Sports from EMU classmate����(Richmond, Va./Deep Run), who��. From there, the select team was made up of NCAA Division III volleyball players from throughout the United States based off recommendations of coaches with Ron Smith, the director of the program from USA Sports Tours & Events, making the final invitations.��Ocampo��is the third Royals athlete to play in Brazil over the past two summers.

The men’s and women’s USA D-III Volleyball Teams travelled together, with each roster limited to 10 players. The men hailed from six different schools and seven different home states, while the women represented seven institutions and eight home states.

“This is an outstanding group of young men and women,” said Smith. “Many of the players on this year’s USA / Brazil Tour team had great individual seasons and led their teams into post season play. This tour is designed to expose players to a great volleyball experience while providing a once in a lifetime opportunity for educational, cultural and social growth.”

This past spring,��Ocampo��helped lead Eastern Mennonite to the semifinals of the Continental Volleyball Conference Tournament. He finished his junior season with 149 kills and 106 blocks, and is already sixth in program history with 245 career blocks.

The tour started out in Jundiai, where the USA team played two matches against the city’s club team.

“After every match we would take a picture with the team and trade jerseys,” said��Ocampo. “The jersey trading was a fun and unique experience because we were able to connect with the other players.”

The team then traveled to Rio de Janeiro where they stayed on the famous Copacabana Beach. Between practices and matches, the team was able to experience educational, cultural and social aspects of Brazilian life through city, school and sports club visits.

“Personally, I was just so happy to be engulfed in another country’s culture, I even learned a bit of Portuguese!” said��Ocampo. “We had plenty of free time in the city so we all had time to explore different places, speak with the locals, and eat great food.”

Joining players from other high profile programs, such as Continental Volleyball Conference rivals Kean and Juniata, elevated��Ocampo‘s play.

“Athletically, I got to learn from the best in D-III,” he said. “I learned a lot from the other players on my team and even more so from the other fellow middles.”

He also noted that the international experience gave him a new appreciation for his sport.

“I believe this unique experience in Brazil has helped me appreciate the game more and reminded me of how competitive volleyball is around the world,” said��Ocampo. “It will also help me to encourage my teammates and encourage them to work hard towards an opportunity to play internationally.”

2018 USA D-III Men’s Volleyball Team
Tony Allen – Carthage College
Andrew Chisholm – Mount St. Joseph University
Dylan Flor – Kean University
��– ��ݮ����
Quinn Peterson – Juniata College
Ross Russell – Wittenberg University
Jared Warner – Kean University
Braeden Waumans – Carthage College
Michael Young – Juniata College
Steven Zaraycki – Kean University

Coach: Glenn DeHaven – Juniata College

Nor did she have any idea just how many students she would teach, advise, coach and mentor at the university: Considering the number of courses she taught each semester as well as her class sizes, Brownscombe probably taught an estimated one-third of the student body each semester. For 15 years with the , she was the field placement coordinator for what amounts to several hundred practicum and student teachers.

So the likelihood that any student over the past 40 years graduated without relating to Brownscombe in some capacity is pretty slim.

That legacy was honored earlier this month during a reception attended by colleagues.

[Good wishes to Sandy are welcome in the comments box at the end of the article. Each message will be shared with her.]

One of those colleagues is also a former student: Roger Mast, associate professor of physical education and men’s soccer coach for the past 27 years. He noted that the opportunity to work alongside a passionate, committed and welcoming colleague who continuously “reflected and improved her own teaching practice is a gift we’ll cherish for a lifetime.”

Brownscombe was the second non-Mennonite faculty member, and the first female non-Mennonite, to be hired, noted Director of Athletics Dave King.

Her pioneering didn’t stop there. She coached three sports and 32 total teams: women’s basketball for 12 years, from 1978-90; field hockey for 16 years, from 1978-93; and men’s volleyball for eight years, from 1991-98.

This last coaching term is notable, says King. If Brownscombe is not the first woman to coach men’s sports in the NCAA, she is certainly among the first. That she did this at a private Christian college is also notable.

In the record books, Brownscombe is No. 1 in wins for and , and for women’s basketball (notably, she has been the longest-serving coaches in the first two sports, by several years; current women’s basketball coach Kevin Griffin logged his 12th year, to equal Brownscombe service and exceed her wins record, just this year).

She is one of three coaches with��her mentor Miriam “Mim” Mumaw and Eugene Hostetler.

“You have pioneered change or embraced change at every turn in our athletic and physical education program at EMU, so thank you for being a trailblazer,” President Susan Schultz Huxman said. “That takes energy, conviction, confidence and steady optimism and faith in a university’s future.”

In April 2018, the EMU Board of Trustees honored Brownscombe as the first physical education faculty member to receive professor emerita status.

A role model for future role models

Reflecting on her career, Brownscombe said in a later interview that she was most proud of her record as an academic advisor, helping students to create a smooth and efficient pathway to timely graduation – a challenging task considering the practicum and student-teaching requirements for physical education and teacher education.

Her student evaluations highlight her strengths as a teacher. “I tried every semester to be better than the semester before,” she said. “That was very important to me, to get better at my work, to be a better teacher.”

For many years, all of the time-consuming coaching responsibilities – such as state-wide and regional recruitment, planning for and managing practices, driving the team to competitions – were accomplished on top of a full teaching load.

Though Brownscombe says she thinks back on that time and is still amazed at her own resilience, she says she felt a strong responsibility to model to her students how to balance the two roles. For all students, it was important to see a female coach in a leadership role.

“For the first half of my career, I was a coach and teacher, and I felt it was really important to model those dual roles to health and physical education majors because that was often the role they were going into,” she said.

Helping all teachers to be better teachers

Brownscombe arrived at EMU (then Eastern Mennonite College) with teaching experience in the Providence, Rhode Island, schools, as well as an MA in physical education from Washington State University and a BA in physical education from University of Northern Colorado. In 2004, she earned an EdD in K-12 curriculum from Argosy University, Sarasota.

She chaired the physical education and recreation department three times (1987-90, 1992-94 and 2015-17) and was interim chair of the teacher education department during two sabbaticals.

With various teaching responsibilities in both teacher education and physical education departments, she was field experience coordinator for 15 years, representing EMU on the MidValley Consortium for Teacher Education from 2000-2015.

In this capacity, she helped to develop an innovative new model, which emphasized co-teaching between the P-12 classroom teacher and the preservice teacher.

“When the new Standards of Learning requirements were introduced, local principals were concerned about how student teachers might impact learning,” she explained. “The model then was that the student teacher spent a few weeks observing and then took over the classroom while the regular teacher stepped out.”

Adapting a previously used co-teaching model, Brownscombe and other teacher education professionals in the MidValley Consortium eventually moved regional preservice education onto new – and better – ground. The consortium research, conducted in Augusta County schools and eventually shared at state and national conferences, showed students learning in a co-teaching model actually improved their test scores.

In the MidValley Consortium role, Brownscombe developed and shared research and knowledge gleaned about all aspects of teacher education at various conferences. Some of these topics included:

• developing co-teaching skills in clinical faculty.
• the nature of interactions between clinical faculty and preservice teachers.
• the relationship between clinical faculty and student teachers.
• the role of collaboration and reflection among teachers and students.
• performance assessments as related to co-teaching and to student teachers.
• teacher retention.
• transitioning teacher candidates from preparation to professional practice.

Joining EMU colleagues, she presented at conferences on experiences of preservice teachers in practicum settings, socially just learning, and unique qualities of the liberal arts-based preservice teacher curriculum.

Leadership beyond EMU

Brownscombe was on the board of directors from 2011-16 of Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), a national organization that represents over 700 colleges and universities, over 500 major school systems, and the majority of state departments of education.

She also co-chaired the 2014 national conference and served in leadership positions for four other conferences: service two times as planning committee co-chair and once as a member, and twice as program committee co-chair.

Brownscombe also co-chaired the ATE’s Commission on the Development of/and Preparation for Teaching the Whole Child, and was a four-year member of the association’s standing committee on technology and the future of teacher education.

With the Virginia Association of Teacher Educators, during 20 years of membership, she served as president from 2007-09, which included two-year terms before and after as president-elect and past president. She was the higher education delegate from 2011-12.

She was also active in leadership roles for the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (VAHPERD), and served as one of the lead teachers at James Madison University’s Content Teaching Academy.

That passion could easily be seen in Ragland’s performance during last week’s CVC Tournament, at which he earned EMU’s lone spot on the All-Tournament Team. He broke his career high with 27 kills in��Tuesday’s��historic upset of Juniata on the road, including the final point of the night.

Ragland again led EMU in the CVC Semifinals, putting down nine kills against eventual champion Kean. He racked up 36 kills and 14 digs in Eastern Mennonite’s two matches in the tournament.

Despite his outstanding performance, Ragland was pleasantly surprised when he broke his career record.

“Breaking my personal kill record was pretty cool. I definitely didn’t think I had that many during the match. I was just trying to help my team as best I could,” he said.

Unfortunately, despite Ragland’s best efforts, the Royals were not able to make it back to the championship match.

“Overall the tournament was not what we had hoped for,” he said. “We really wanted to return to the championship and get another shot at the title, but in the end we just couldn’t make it happen.”

While the Royals may not have made it to the title match, Lickey said, Ragland’s performance in the CVC Tournament, and, really, since January, has been his best yet.

“Throughout the season, he has shown time and again the talent and ability he has in the game,” she said. “He is top 10 in the conference at pretty much everything. But during the conference tournament, he took his skill to the next level. He earned 27 kills in the match against Juniata and was a go-to player to get things done throughout those sets. He also came alive during the last set of the Kean match.”

Ragland credits his success in his final season due to preseason tournaments he played in, and the team’s new coach.

“She kicked our butts in workouts and got us into decent shape,” he said.

However, success for Ragland and the team brought a new set of challenges, one of which was simply recognition as a team to be reckoned with.

“Last year we weren’t exactly the top dog and other teams didn’t really focus too much on our matches allowing us to get some of those big wins,” Ragland said. “This year people had us circled on their schedule and prepared a lot more for us, and I think that overall that hurt us a lot more.”

A business administration major and music minor, Ragland hopes to extend his career after graduation by playing volleyball overseas before beginning his non-athletic career. However, his time playing for EMU will be one that he will always carry with him no matter what volleyball court in the world he is playing on, he said.

“My greatest memory coming away from EMU is the bus ride back from Vassar, when we found out that SVU lost and we would have another shot at a conference tournament run,” he said.

Lickey laments the loss of Ragland at the end of the season, as it will be difficult to find someone who has the same level of passion for the game.

“He was given more opportunity to perform and he stepped up,” she said. “He loves the game and has a passion for playing at a high level. He also brings a level of expectation and accountability to the team, expecting as much as he gives from each of his teammates. He offensively is a powerhouse, and also plays a well-rounded game at a very high level. This is demonstrated with him in the top ten in the conference for blocks, digs, attacks, and aces. The team will miss Will both on and off the court next year.”

Buller was joined on the All-CVC Second Team by teammates����(Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim),����(North Chesterfield, Va./Thomas Dale) and����(Richmond, Va./Deep Run).

Eastern Mennonite had the most honorees of any team in the CVC this year, topping three each from Kean and Marymount, the respective regular season champions from each of the conference’s two divisions.

Buller repeats his All-CVC honor, but this year adds the hardware as the conference’s first-ever Libero of the Year. He is third in the nation with 325 total digs, and 18th with 2.90 digs per set. Buller’s back row play has been key in starting EMU’s versatile attack. For the second year in a row, the Royals are leading the CVC with 1250 digs and 10.33 digs per set. Buller had 17 matches this season with double digit digs, including a season high of 19 in a four-setter against Lancaster Bible on March 2. His 863 career digs place him third all-time in EMU history.

Ragland continues to blossom as Eastern Mennonite’s leading hitter, but also as an all-around player. The senior is second in the CVC with 377 kills on the season, averaging 3.12 per set. On top of that, he is also the only player in the conference to be top-10 in each kills, service aces, digs and blocks. Ragland is fourth in the CVC with 48 aces, sixth with 246 digs and ninth with 64 blocks. In just three years at EMU, after one season at Carthage College, Ragland became EMU’s career aces leader, currently at 117. Earlier this week, he put down a career high 27 kills in the Royals’ upset of Juniata to open the CVC Tournament.

Lutz finally gets deserved attention as one of the best middles in the Continental Volleyball Conference, earning his first All-CVC honor after landing on the CVC All-Tournament Team last spring. The 6-8 senior is tied for first in D-III with 108 block assists and is fourth overall with 117 blocks. His commanding presence has helped Eastern Mennonite lead the nation with 421 block assists and be third overall with 259 blocks. Lutz has also been a more prominent offensive weapon this year and is fourth in the CVC with a .354 hitting percentage and 10th with 262 kills. He broke his career high with 16 kills against Rutgers-Newark on March 24, and had a season high nine blocks in a five-set win over Messiah on March 17.

Consistently running the show for the Royals is setter Taylor, who gets his first All-CVC nod as a junior. Like Lutz, he was also on the CVC All-Tournament Team last year. Taylor is second in D-III with 1,176 assists and is sixth overall with 10.05 assists pet set. His ability to read the defense and run EMU’s offense sets Taylor apart, as the junior is already No. 3 in program history with 3,188 career assists. Taylor tied his career high with 63 assists in Tuesday’s tourney win at Juniata, and set a new career mark with 11 digs. He is also the top-blocking setter in the CVC, tied for 10th among all players with 61 stuffs.

With the growth of the CVC to 10 teams this season, the league also expanded its all-conference selections, increasing from one team of 10 players to a first and second team, each consisting of eight players.

Eastern Mennonite qualified for their second straight CVC Tournament this season, and for the second straight year started the tourney with an upset, this time knocking off Juniata in five sets Tuesday night in Huntingdon, Pa. In 2017, EMU surprised top-seeded Marymount in the semifinals.

The Royals will be in Union, N.J., this weekend for the semifinals and finals of the CVC Tournament, taking on host and overall top seed Kean Friday night at 6:00pm.

EMU went 8-5 in CVC play during the regular season and holds an overall record of 21-12 heading into this weekend.

2018 All-Continental Volleyball Conference Awards
Player of the Year:��Quinn Peterson, Juniata
Setter of the Year:��Ian Capp, Kean
Libero of the Year:��, Eastern Mennonite
Rookie of the Year:��Nahuel Recabarren, Southern Virginia
Coach of the Year:��Charlie Ginex, Kean

All-CVC First Team
Paul Clark, Southern Virginia
Ian Capp, Kean
Quinn Peterson, Juniata
Corey Pieper, Rutgers-Newark
Sam Safley, Marymount
Shayron Taylor, Kean
Jared Warner, Kean
TJ Wiechecki, Marymount

All-CVC Second Team
Daniel Aina, Southern Virginia
Erich Bratke, Marymount
, Eastern Mennonite
Garrett Fitzsimmons, Ramapo
Micah Godshall, Cairn
, Eastern Mennonite
, Eastern Mennonite
, Eastern Mennonite

In last Saturday’s 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).

“It was absolutely an emotional experience,” he said, reflecting on his final matches of the season in Yoder Arena on Saturday. “The two matches were extremely fun to play in, especially the Messiah match. It honestly hasn’t hit me that those were the final matches because we are pushing to be the one seed in the conference and host the tournament!”

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.

“In my four seasons here, I have never seen the gym like that,” Buller said. “It 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.”

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.

“They have all brought a different mentality to the game that we have all grown from in some fashion,” he said. “This year’s 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.”

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.

“He plays a selfless position,” Lickey explained, “Liberos 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.”

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’s losses are what have pushed him to improve his game in his final season.

“Last season we started to lose the drive and focus toward the end of the season,” he said. “At 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.”

Approaching the final six matches, he hopes to continue improving his game not only physically but mentally as well.

“For 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.”

Lickey adds that one of buller’s special qualities has always been his mental strength and perseverance.

“His intelligence allows him to process mistakes and find a way to get better,” she explained. “He 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.”

Lutz was recently named the Continental Volleyball Conference Player of the Week after his performance in EMU’s first five matches, which happened to be played in a four-day stretch. It comes as no surprise that he earned another accolade and was named Royals Athlete of the Week as well.

Lutz made an immediate impact in the 2018 season after averaging 2.40 kills and 1.15 blocks over five matches. He had seven kills and five blocks in a sweep of #3 SUNY New Paltz and tied his career high with 12 kills against SUNY Poly.

EMU’s men took SUNY Poly to five close sets after having two late matches the night before. Part of their success in rallying for the win was due to mental toughness, which has been an emphasized philosophy brought to the team with the new coaching staff.

“The biggest reason we lost two sets to them in the first place was because of frequently missed serves,” Lutz said. “We had to apply mental toughness to not get down on ourselves and continue to play our game through the fatigue.”

The men have already played two nationally ranked teams and another team who received votes just outside of the top 15. With a challenging schedule and two new coaches to the program, some would consider this season to be a rebuilding year for EMU’s men.

However,��Lutz��would argue otherwise.

“Our schedule is miles tougher than last year, both in frequency and level of competition,” he said. “Our coaching staff does a great job of scouting the team and educating us as much as possible to set up game plans for success.”

Lutz has already noticed a change in his individual level of play because of the guidance from head coach��Danielle Lickey��and assistant coach��Jack Wilson.

“I can already see improvement in my game based off of the criticisms and advice they give me on the court,”��Lutz��said. He is leading the CVC with a .453 hitting percentage as well as 23 total blocks. He also hit .444 or better in four of the matches.

According to Lickey, it’s his “thirst for knowledge” and appreciation for instruction that have allowed him to re-establish himself as one of the top middle blockers in the CVC.

“He faces the challenges of growth head on, understanding the process of progress, and is able to do so as a role model through his attitude towards the hard work that is required,” she said. “I have never seen him be anything but a great teammate, leader, and player.”

Upon earning CVC Player of the Week and Royals Athlete of the Week honors, Lutz said, “I feel very proud because I always believed I had a certain potential that I was never able to attain, but I believe it is a direct result of the coaching that I have received up until now. I am making my first steps towards my personal goals.”

Off the court,��Lutz��is a biochemistry major and plans on pursuing a pharmaceutical degree after a gap year of “mystery and adventure.” He also serves as co-president with teammate����(Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) for EMU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

“I am blessed to have inherited such a person on my team,” said Lickey. “He has made my transition into this position exponentially easier, as I depend on him to lead by example and with class.”