Saluki Volleyball adds two from class of 2021

CARBONDALE, Ill.- Southern Illinois University volleyball head coach Ed Allen has announced the signing of a pair of student-athletes for the fall 2021 season.

Setter Anna Jaworski (Naperville, Ill.) and utility hitter Maggie Wallenberger (Carpentersville, Ill.) are the newest members of the Saluki program after they both signed National Letters of Intent this past week.

Anna Jaworski
Naperville North // Setter // 5-8 // Naperville, Ill.

Jaworski is a senior at Naperville North High School, where she led the Huskies to the regional finals as a junior. A five-foot-eight setter, Jaworski earned all-conference honors after she dished out 728 assists to go along with 191 digs and 49 aces. As a sophomore, Jaworski piloted Naperville North to a 35-7 record, a regional title and a sectional championship match appearance.

The Naperville, Ill. native plays her club ball for Sports Performance in Aurora, Ill., a prestigious club that is renowned for its ability to produce top volleyball players. Sports Performance has sent more than 700 players to collegiate volleyball programs, including 65 Division I AVCA All-Americans. Current U.S. national team setter Lauren Carlini is one of many notable alums of the club.

Jaworski will be the fourth member of her immediate family to play collegiate volleyball. Her father, John, played at Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne, while her brother, also John, is a sophomore defensive specialist at Daemen College, an NCAA Division II school in Amherst, New York. Anna will be a second generation Saluki as her mother, Helen (Malina), competed for SIU’s volleyball and badminton teams.

“Anna comes from a great club program that has a history of training some of the best setters in the country,” Allen said. “Sports Performance is a highly disciplined club that has proven its ability to prepare players to go on to compete at the highest level of collegiate volleyball. We are more than pleased with how Anna has been prepared. Technically she is going to be a very sound setter. Her volleyball IQ is above average and she comes from a volleyball family. It is great that she is able to come to SIU and continue her family’s legacy and follow in her mother’s footsteps. We’re excited about how competitive and disciplined she is.”

Maggie Wallenberger
Jacobs H.S. // Middle Blocker // 6-0 // Carpentersville, Ill.

Maggie Wallenberger comes to SIU by way of Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Ill., where she is a three-year varsity starter for the Eagles. A two-time all-area and two-time all-conference selection, Wallenberger put down 277 kills as a sophomore to earn both all-area and all-conference honors. As a junior, Wallenberger again earned all-conference and all-area laurels after she helped the Eagles return to the regional title match.

Wallenberger plays club ball for Sky High, a program that has sent 356 volleyball players to the NCAA DI level. Wallenberger’s sister, Bridget, was the 2016 Horizon League Freshman of the Year while at Milwaukee and is currently a redshirt senior at Houston.

“Maggie can do everything,” Allen said. “We recruited her because she is a very athletic kid who has a lot of talent and can play multiple positions. She’s the type of player that will allow us to play a three-hitter middle system. She has the ability to bang on either antenna and to also provide us with depth in the middle. She has the capacity to hit quick tempo from anywhere on the floor, which will be a huge asset for us.”

RecomMended Posts

Loading...