HSXtra Interview: With Caldwell's Lauren Buss GREENSBORO DAILY NEWS
Caldwell Academy’s Lauren Buss has had a senior year to remember, and it’s barely November. Buss plays for the Eagles’ volleyball team, which defeated Davidson Day 3-1 to win the program’s first NCISAA Class 2-A championship. She also is an excellent student and is primed to head to college next fall.
Q: How long have you been at Caldwell?
A: I’ve been at Caldwell since fourth grade.
Q: How long have you played volleyball at the school?
A: I’ve played volleyball since seventh grade. I tried out in sixth grade, but didn’t make the team. But I’ve played varsity all four years.
Q: Do you play other sports?
A: Well, I play beach volleyball, but that’s about it.
Q: What makes volleyball your sport?
A: I love the team aspect of having six other girls to play with, and really the bonding experience on and off the court.
Q: Having gone to a small school myself, I know how strong those bonds can be. Do you think it’s an advantage for your team?
A: Definitely. I get to see these girls every day in the hallway, we can eat lunch together, and we spend time together outside of practice. So I think all that helps build our relationships. However, a lot of the girls on this years’ team were freshmen, so I didn’t really know them. That was a little different. Some of the other girls, I’ve been playing with them since middle school.
Q: Speaking of the youth of your team, did you think going into the season that you had a chance to win a state championship?
A: We definitely saw that it was going to be a challenge. Earlier in the year one of our top players tore her ACL and MCL and had to have major surgery, so that was a big obstacle. And then another one of our players injured a knee. So I would say that it really changed our team’s lineup from the beginning of the year. We had five injuries total throughout the year where players had been unable to play.
Q: What did it feel like when you won the championship?
A: It was probably one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. It was very fulfilling, especially since I thought we were going to get knocked out in the first round. Our first game we went down 2-0. We had heard all season that Davidson Day, the team that we beat in the finals, was better than us and was going to win it all. It was a big accomplishment to prove that wrong.
Q: When did your team start to believe you could win the championship?
A: In the first game against Davidson Day, we started really strong. I think we had a 9-0 lead and throughout the whole match we played better than we had all season. Everything was clean, everything was on point. You could see it in the other team’s faces. They started to doubt that they could come out with a victory.
Q: What position did you play this year?
A: I’m a setter.
Q: So your job is to run the offense?
A: I would say so. I work with the hitters, so they tell me where they want the ball and different plays, but I definitely say that the setter is in charge of where the ball goes and who gets it.
Q: Is this the best way you could imagine ending your senior season?
A: I think so, especially since we also won the conference tournament — something Caldwell had never done. And we set a record for wins in a season (28). It was nice to go out with a bang.
Q: Let’s talk about school. Are you a good student?
A: (Laughs) Yes, sir.
Q: Like honor roll good or…
A: Are you talking about Beta Club? I’ve been in Beta Club all four years. To get in you have to have a 4.0 (grade-point average) and to stay in you have to have a 3.7. Most of my classes are honors, and then I have two AP classes.
Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: I have applied to UNC Charlotte, Appalachian and N.C. State, with State being my top choice.
Q: What are you going to major in?
A: I’m not sure, but I’m thinking about education. I used to think I wanted to go into physical therapy, but I have really loved working with children. I’ve done various summer programs with kids, and I have a 4-year-old brother, and I think that’s added to my desire to work with kids.
Q: Is it going to be sad to leave Caldwell after being there for so long?
A: It’s going to be sad, but I’m ready for a new environment.
Q: Do you think you’ll have any culture shock?
A: I definitely think it will be eye-opening because we all know each other well and it’s going to be different going into an environment with people of different backgrounds and belief sets — and I don’t know them.
Caldwell Academy’s Lauren Buss has had a senior year to remember, and it’s barely November. Buss plays for the Eagles’ volleyball team, which defeated Davidson Day 3-1 to win the program’s first NCISAA Class 2-A championship. She also is an excellent student and is primed to head to college next fall.
Q: How long have you been at Caldwell?
A: I’ve been at Caldwell since fourth grade.
Q: How long have you played volleyball at the school?
A: I’ve played volleyball since seventh grade. I tried out in sixth grade, but didn’t make the team. But I’ve played varsity all four years.
Q: Do you play other sports?
A: Well, I play beach volleyball, but that’s about it.
Q: What makes volleyball your sport?
A: I love the team aspect of having six other girls to play with, and really the bonding experience on and off the court.
Q: Having gone to a small school myself, I know how strong those bonds can be. Do you think it’s an advantage for your team?
A: Definitely. I get to see these girls every day in the hallway, we can eat lunch together, and we spend time together outside of practice. So I think all that helps build our relationships. However, a lot of the girls on this years’ team were freshmen, so I didn’t really know them. That was a little different. Some of the other girls, I’ve been playing with them since middle school.
Q: Speaking of the youth of your team, did you think going into the season that you had a chance to win a state championship?
A: We definitely saw that it was going to be a challenge. Earlier in the year one of our top players tore her ACL and MCL and had to have major surgery, so that was a big obstacle. And then another one of our players injured a knee. So I would say that it really changed our team’s lineup from the beginning of the year. We had five injuries total throughout the year where players had been unable to play.
Q: What did it feel like when you won the championship?
A: It was probably one of the best feelings I have ever experienced. It was very fulfilling, especially since I thought we were going to get knocked out in the first round. Our first game we went down 2-0. We had heard all season that Davidson Day, the team that we beat in the finals, was better than us and was going to win it all. It was a big accomplishment to prove that wrong.
Q: When did your team start to believe you could win the championship?
A: In the first game against Davidson Day, we started really strong. I think we had a 9-0 lead and throughout the whole match we played better than we had all season. Everything was clean, everything was on point. You could see it in the other team’s faces. They started to doubt that they could come out with a victory.
Q: What position did you play this year?
A: I’m a setter.
Q: So your job is to run the offense?
A: I would say so. I work with the hitters, so they tell me where they want the ball and different plays, but I definitely say that the setter is in charge of where the ball goes and who gets it.
Q: Is this the best way you could imagine ending your senior season?
A: I think so, especially since we also won the conference tournament — something Caldwell had never done. And we set a record for wins in a season (28). It was nice to go out with a bang.
Q: Let’s talk about school. Are you a good student?
A: (Laughs) Yes, sir.
Q: Like honor roll good or…
A: Are you talking about Beta Club? I’ve been in Beta Club all four years. To get in you have to have a 4.0 (grade-point average) and to stay in you have to have a 3.7. Most of my classes are honors, and then I have two AP classes.
Q: What are your plans after high school?
A: I have applied to UNC Charlotte, Appalachian and N.C. State, with State being my top choice.
Q: What are you going to major in?
A: I’m not sure, but I’m thinking about education. I used to think I wanted to go into physical therapy, but I have really loved working with children. I’ve done various summer programs with kids, and I have a 4-year-old brother, and I think that’s added to my desire to work with kids.
Q: Is it going to be sad to leave Caldwell after being there for so long?
A: It’s going to be sad, but I’m ready for a new environment.
Q: Do you think you’ll have any culture shock?
A: I definitely think it will be eye-opening because we all know each other well and it’s going to be different going into an environment with people of different backgrounds and belief sets — and I don’t know them.
