MORGANTOWN – Morgantown High School volleyball senior Audrey Buck is one of the state’s best players at the setter position and has reached new heights in 2024, setting the MHS program record of 1,210 earlier this year.
One of five seniors returning from last season’s 2023 state championship roster, Buck has embraced her role as leader of the 2024 squad while also aiming to bring attention to her role as the Mohigans’ setter.
On Tuesday night, she helped lead MHS to a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-13, 27-25) of John Marshall inside the Rowdie Center with 38 assists and no errors.
“I am very proud of being able to set the assist record this season,” Buck said after the victory Tuesday night. “It’s something I had as a personal goal coming into the season and one I wanted to achieve at some point. Not many people pay as much attention to the setters in volleyball as the hitters, so being able to help bring the position into the spotlight is special to me.”
Buck also defensively leads the team in digs this season, adding 12 in the game against JM. On top of the assist record, she holds the program record for aces with 187 and counting after Tuesday, averaging 0.7 aces per set in 2024 thus far.
Earlier in the season, Buck had a career-high 45 assists in a 3-1 win against crosstown rival University.
She admits there is some added pressure that comes with being the team’s primary setter.
“Sometimes you’re the reason a hitter makes a mistake,” she said. “You never want to do anything to give points away or let the team down. It’s a lot of pressure sometimes, but having confidence in my teammates helps with that.”
MHS head coach Abigail Wolfe says Buck is having a stellar season in her team’s 5-1 offensive system.
“She is truly phenomenal, and I don’t believe you will find a better setter in the state,” Wolfe said. “I said that last season, and I am repeating it. This is her first year really controlling the entire offense, and she has excelled. In years past, her stats went a little unnoticed because we ran more setters the past few seasons, but now that she is the focal point, she’s been able to shine through the way I know she can.”
Buck has also developed a trademark move where she rises to set the ball, but instead of making the pass to a hitter, she taps the ball over the net into a space for a point. On Tuesday, she did it twice against the Monarchs, earning a point for her team.
“Sometimes I just notice when the other team leaves the middle of the court open more than they usually would,” she said. “I like pulling it out when a play gets chaotic, and the other team is looking for us to make a big hit. They usually don’t see it coming. I guess I started doing it in practice one day while playing travel volleyball, and it has stuck with me since then.”
Audrey knows her assists wouldn’t be possible without the strength of the hitters on the MHS roster. She says it can be confusing at times to remember how everyone prefers the ball to be set to them, but the options she has give her confidence in every point.
“I enjoy having so many people to set for; we can run different options for almost every play and move the ball around,” she said. “Only having one or two options can become stressful. We have strong hitters all over the court.”
The Mohigans were led Tuesday by junior outside hitter Paige Brink, who had 20 kills in the contest on 34 attempts. Senior Giatta Iquinto contributed eight kills, and sophomore Abby Paulsen added seven for MHS.
The Mohigans improved to 20-2 in the 2024 season with the 3-0 sweep over the visiting Monarchs on Tuesday night.
