VINCENNES, Ind. – Vincennes University sophomore Audrey Buis (Franklin, Ind.) announced earlier this week her plans to continue playing volleyball at the next level by signing with NAIA Indiana University-South Bend.
“After having an amazing call with Coach Cali, I went on my visit and immediately fell in love with the campus and the girls I toured with,” Buis said. “I’m very excited to become a Titan!”
Buis closed out an outstanding playing career at Vincennes University this past season, putting together a stellar sophomore campaign with 272 kills, 268 digs, 36 blocks, 36 aces and 331 points.
Buis finished her two years in the VU Blue and Gold with 552 total kills, 421 digs, 81 blocks, 38 aces and 639.5 total points.
Buis was a key member of an outstanding Trailblazer offensive attack which helped guide the Blazers to their most successful season at the NJCAA Division I level.
This past season, Buis helped the Blazers to a 32-7 final record, while capturing the third straight undefeated Region 24 Championship, reaching the NJCAA Division I Midwest District Tournament Championship game for the first time in school history and earning the highest National ranking in Division I program history after being ranked No. 18 in the country.
“My favorite memory at Vincennes would have to be winning the Region 24 Championship back to back,” Buis added. “Along with supporting other sports teams with my friends.”
Buis is the third VUVB sophomore to sign to continue playing at the next level, joining Morgan Netcott (Montague, Mich.) (U. of Montevallo) and Paige Parlanti (Las Vegas, Nev.) (Bowling Green State University).
Buis is set to join a Titans squad led by a familiar face in newly hired Head Coach and VUVB alum Cali Topolski.
Buis and Topolski are each joining an IU-South Bend program coming off of a 5-23 record last season, including a 5-9 record in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) play.
“Audrey is the first homeschooled student that I’ve had the opportunity to coach,” VUVB Head Coach Gary Sien said. “Not that it was any different than normal, but that was a whole new experience for me as a coach and it was definitely a whole new experience for her. It’s going to be a lot different after you’ve spent a number of years being homeschooled then moving away from home at obviously a much bigger school than you are used to. Talking about the non-volleyball side for Audrey, over these last two years it seems like she has grown quite a bit as a person and as a leader.”
“One thing that I saw right away from Audrey was that leadership ability,” Sien added. “So I really encouraged her to really bring that out, especially this past season as a sophomore. Last year she was a bit more comfortable as a leader and she and the other sophomores did an excellent job of leading. I’ve said before that if it weren’t for their leadership and their initiative, it would have been a much more difficult for me to coach.”
“Audrey is a very hard worker,” Sien said. “She, along with Morgan and Paige would always do extra sessions either before or after practice. They not only did that for their own benefit, because they all want to keep getting better and that was such a great example to the rest of our team. That contributed a lot to our success on the court. Those three being the example, allowed others to also want to join in and get some extra work in. When you talk about success as a team, it’s not about doing just enough, it’s about doing more than enough because you don’t just want to be good, you want to be great. Those are the types of athletes that I definitely do appreciate and more often than not, those that do the extra work are going to go on to great success not only on the volleyball court, but in life.”
“With Audrey and Paige, I felt like we had the best two outside hitter combination in the Region,” Sien added. “It was something that every team we faced had to contend with, whether inside or outside of the Region. Not only just with their ability to hit but also their blocking.”
“I’m just really happy that Audrey has this opportunity to play at the next level,” Sien said. “She’s going to play for Cali Topolski, who played at VU from 2016 to 2018, then transferred to IU East early, played two years there and then went to Bournemouth University in England and played a fifth year before COVID. Cali was able to get a good education here at Vincennes, IU East and then in England. I think sometimes the 2016 and 2017 teams get overlooked. It was our first two years at Division I and because we weren’t in the Region yet, we didn’t get any individual recognition.”
“Cali was the first player I saw as a Coach at Vincennes University,” Sien added. “I saw her at a tournament in Chicago and as soon as I saw her, I knew we were going to have some good setting here. She had committed to VU before I had come onboard. How cool is it that now Cali just started this new position a couple of months ago and Audrey is her first signee. You can’t make this up. So as a coach, I’m just so thrilled for this opportunity for the two of them.”
“Athletically, Vincennes Volleyball prepared me to be more confident in my leadership, to be more encouraging and less critical and to be more thankful for the opportunities and memories you are given,” Buis said. “Academically, Vincennes University has taught me more things than I can count. Some of the things that stick out to me are how independent I have become over these past two years. I learned how to deal with procrastination and create better study habits. The small class sizes and personable professors really made a huge impact on my education.”
“I am excited to add Audrey to our program for a few reasons,” Coach Topolski said. “She s an experienced, well-rounded player who has contributed to the success of past season at Vincennes. I am excited for her to help guide our younger players. Being a VU volleyball alum, I am very excited to have another alumni in my first recruiting class at IU South Bend.”
The Vincennes University Athletic Department would like to congratulate Audrey Buis on her signing with Indiana University – South Bend and wishes her good luck as she continues her volleyball career in the fall.
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