Bartlett’s Sam Buss recognizes that her teammates are always looking to her on the court.
The senior outside hitter is the Hawks’ captain, after all, so whether she’s up front or even in the back row, she has figured out that she’s likely to be getting the ball when it’s crunch time.
“I love knowing that my teammates can rely on me just as much as I rely on them,” Buss said. “When they look at me they’re like, ‘I can trust her to put a ball away.’ It feels amazing.”
Buss received plenty of opportunities to put the ball away Monday night in a 25-23, 22-25, 25-13 nonconference victory at St. Edward in Elgin. Buss led both teams with 16 kills.
Brianna Petrasiunas added 10 kills for Bartlett (10-17), while Danielle Whiteside came up with four. Samantha Pogorzelski led St. Edward (10-23) with eight kills and Sophia Savini had four.
Bartlett coach Bob Schwantz realizes the weapon that he has in Buss. That’s why he nominated her for player of the year in the Upstate Eight Conference.
“You see, they just go to her,” Schwantz said. “They go to her back row. She’s got a great serve. Passing can be shaky at times, but I don’t like taking her out. She’s my captain.
“I like her being out there. She’ll be missed next season.”
Schwantz brought Buss up to varsity as a sophomore, but he was candid with her.
“I told her, ‘We’ve already got two hitters. You’re going to be option three. Would you rather play on JV?’” Schwantz said of Buss. “She said, ‘I want to be on varsity.’
“She knew she’d get better reps in practice and I could get her in during tournaments.”
That experience helped Buss lead the Hawks in kills in each of the past two years.
“We leaned on her last season, too,” Schwantz said. “I have 13 seniors, but she’s the one we lean on the most.”
After winning the first game Monday, Bartlett let things slip away in the second game. The Hawks forced a 17-17 tie, but St Edward methodically kept the Hawks at bay to force a third game.
“We really had to put it together,” Buss said. “When we came in here, we weren’t sure what to expect. We saw their record. We also knew our record. We didn’t want to underestimate them.
“Second set, we let up way too much.”
Up 8-7 in the third, Bartlett went on a 10-0 run to put the match away. Buss and Petrasiunas each tallied three kills in that run.
“I thought ‘Bri’ did a great job,” Buss said.
St. Edward coach Dawn Gross was happy to see her team fight back in the second game, though. The team’s struggles in the third game, however, showed up again for the Green Wave.
“We did have a lot of fight in the second game,” Gross said. “It’s really nice to see us fight like that. I was happy with how they came back.
“Typically during the season, we like to go to the third set and it’s not the same energy as the second set.”
Gross also praised Pogorzelski afterward. It was her final home match before she focuses on equestrian after high school.
“I’m very impressed with her,” Gross said. “She’s definitely my all-conference player, my MVP.”
Buss, meanwhile, not only opened up eyes in the area this season, but a college took note as well. A few weeks ago, she committed to NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“They came to one of my games and offered while they were there,” Buss said. “It was amazing. When they came up and told me, I was almost crying. My grandparents were there and I wanted to surprise them.
“It’s a surreal feeling. I’m so excited to go play there.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
Originally Published:
