Abby Buehler: Spotlight Athlete of the Week
Abbey Buehler, Waldorf Spotlight Athlete of the Week, works in the Luise V. Hanson Library at Waldorf. Photo by Molly Moschka
By Molly Maschka
She is your typical American girl, yet she just set a record of 1000 kills in her volleyball career.
Spotlight Athleteof the week, Abby Buehler is a senior business major from Dodge Center, Minnesota. Buehler racked up 39 kills, two solo blocks and seven block assists against Bethany Lutheran College and William Penn University in which she recorded the 1000 kill of her career.
“It’s honestly really cool,” said Buehler. “I had no idea that I was even close to 1000, so it was really surprising when they told me the next day. If someone had told me in high school that I’d be getting 1000 kills in college, I never would’ve believed it.”
Buehler fell in love with volleyball when she was in 4th grade, a sport she watched her sister play.
“I mainly started playing because my older sister played and I wanted to be just like her, Buehler said. “It was a really big deal for all the girls in my grade too. I love that volleyball requires so much teamwork and togetherness. In other sports, you can work individually and get better on your own, but to get better in volleyball you need to work with others. You can’t pass a ball by yourself or hit a ball without someone setting to you. Some of my best friends have been made through volleyball and it’s because of the amount of commitment and teamwork that we all put in for each other.”
Yet with volleyball, there were not only happy days, but also times of frustration for Buehler.
“My sophomore year here at Waldorf I actually didn’t even play volleyball,” said Buehler. “After my freshmen year, I just felt that volleyball at the collegiate level wasn’t for me and I wasn’t ready for the hard work and commitment that went with it. After sitting out for a year, I realized how much I missed it and developed a work ethic and commitment that was much stronger than before. I worked harder than I ever have in my entire life that summer before I came back because I was determined to get back on the court and help my teammates. After coming back, I realized that sometimes you have bad days and sometimes you feel like you let your teammates down and those are some of the hardest things to deal with, but you always have your teammates to help you back up and have your back”
Isabelle Rothbauer, Buehler’s roommate and teammate, had high praises for Buehler.
“Abby is a person that can relate to everyone,” said Rothbauer. “It gives everyone around her a sense of comfort because they know they aren’t alone in their struggles. When the going gets tough, she laughs it off.”
Buehler applies the same standards to her academic life as well.
“We always joke with her because she’s such a worry wart, especially with school, but she pulls out 106 percent on tests and obviously does an amazing job on the court,” Rothbauer said. “She really is the whole package on and off the court: smart, funny, athletic, caring, fair and beautiful. I’ve never met a person that doesn’t like Abby.”
Now that it’s her senior year, Buehler hopes this isn’t the end of her volleyball career.
“I want volleyball to still be in my life as something that I teach my kids and still get to do it for fun, like sand volleyball or adult leagues. I’m honestly a super active person so I don’t see myself dropping volleyball until I physically can’t play anymore,” Buehler said.