By Chris Parker
Buffalo volleyball finished 18-13-4 overall in the program’s first season as a member of the Mid-Lakes conference last season.
“One of our goals is to compete and grow throughout the season in order to better prepare ourselves for post-season play,” Buffalo head coach Jamie Dryer said. “With that in mind, I believe moving to the Mid-Lakes was a good move for us. It is a strong conference with a high-level of competition.”
The Lady Bison return one of the top hitters in the state in two-time all-state selection Leah White this season. White put down 405 kills and had 577 receptions to lead Buffalo while finishing second in digs with 342.
“Our team has a lot of confidence in her ability to put the ball away in any situation. Leah has been one of our primary weapons offensively for the last two seasons. She has learned to expect the pressure of getting us out of tight spots and it has made her a much smarter and versatile player for it,” Dryer said. “She is my only returning six-rotation player from last season. With that being said, she will be expected to take on a much larger leadership role. She will continue to lead our team not only offensively, but defensively as well.”
Second-leading hitter Shelby Samek also returns to the outside. She put down 207 kills as a junior.
“Shelby is an extremely talented athlete,” Dryer said. “We will continue to depend on Shelby for her presence at the net. We expect her to become a more versatile player this season. We also expect her to make an impact for our team defensively.”
Junior setter Kenzie Wilson will have an expanded role this season.
“Kenzie will be a six-rotation player for us this season,” Dryer said. “I expect her to make an immediate impact for our team. She has a high-volleyball IQ, and we will depend on her to lead our offense.”
Natalie Burkle (senior DS), Sarah Duskin (senior MH/RS) and Kaylee Barker (senior setter) will also look to make an impact on varsity.
The offense will be a strength for Buffalo, but the Lady Bison will have to develop defensively.
“We are retaining our top two kill leaders from our last two seasons. With the addition of a talented young setter in Kenzie Wilson, I believe we will be able to compete well offensively,” Dryer said. “After graduating seven seniors last season, we will have some holes to fill this year; primarily defensively. We will need to continue improving our serve-receive and defense throughout the season to be successful.”
Buffalo travels to Osage for a jamboree on Aug. 26 with Bolivar, Hillcrest and Osage. The Lady Bison open the regular season on Aug. 30 at the Stockton Tournament.
“Our goal is always to compete at a high-level every night regardless of who we are playing,” Dryer said. “We want to work hard throughout the season and continue to grow and improve in order to be successful in the post-season.”
