New Longhorn of the Week: Abby Vander Wal

Over the course of the spring, we've introduced nearly all of Texas' newcomers: the transfers and freshmen that will shoulder the weight left by the large graduating class from last season. Our final New Longhorn of the Week needs little introduction as she made her presence very well known throughout the spring season, and that's Abby Vander Wal. The freshman OH was tied for the #1 overall recruit in the 2025 class right here at VB Adrenaline, and it looked that way throughout the spring season.

Abby hails from Chicago, where she has spent the last month or so getting a well-deserved break from volleyball action. The biggest difference between her hometown and Austin? "It's cold," she joked. There were times throughout her first semester on campus where she would FaceTime her parents back home suffering through winter storms in March, while the Austin weather was a perfect 72 and sunny. That's been one of her favorite parts of moving down to Texas.

Being a true Chicagoan, Abby considers herself quite the pizza aficionado. The best she's found in the city is Home Slice, saying it serves as a "reminder of home." But overall, the Windy City does it best, the freshman saying "You can't go wrong if you get pizza here [in Chicago]." And for anyone planning any trips to the area, Giordano's is reportedly the best spot for an authentic slice. But don't go too far with the stereotype, because she's not a deep dish person despite the cliché; her family opts for the thin crust instead.

Being from Chicago, Abby grew up right in the heart of Big Ten country and for a while, she was looking primarily at Big Ten programs. I mean, it makes perfect sense. Why not play in what is widely considered to be the best conference in volleyball, where you can stay somewhat close to home? In fact, it wasn't until late in the process that she started to consider Texas as a top option. It was Callie Krueger who convinced Abby to head down to Austin for their prospect camp, which happened just about a week before the magical June 15th date.

She came into camp with a "might as well" attitude and left with a "this is the place" attitude. She loved everything from the coaches to the facilities to current players, the way coaches ran the camp, the beauty around campus and Austin as a whole. Shoutout to Krueger for putting in the recruiting work and getting her now-teammate down to Texas even before she herself was a Longhorn. Ironically, the two met at Nebraska camp, but they now rep the burnt orange together.

On the morning of June 15th, Jerritt Elliott gave Abby's parents a call since they weren't able to make the trip down to Austin with their daughter. The head coach talked with them for over an hour before Abby even entered the conversation. That really stood out to her, having Elliott make the effort to reach out to her family and give them confidence in him as a coach. Between that call, the camp experience, and conversations with her family, it ended up being a pretty easy decision to commit that morning.

Fast forward to today, and that decision has worked out so far. According to Abby, her spring semester went "exactly as expected," getting a pretty good sense of practices from her time at camp. "It's such a fast-paced practice, we get so much done and we compete every single day. Like, it's just so fun, and everyone's so high level in the gym. I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else on a Monday morning."

Looking forward to the fall, Abby has a couple of gameday rituals she'll follow during the season. She always puts on her gear in a particular order: right knee pad, left knee pad, left ankle brace, right ankle brace, right shoe, left shoe, "like a snake". She also wears her hair the same way for every game for a full season, then switches it up the next season. As for this year, it's still undecided. But whatever the hairdo, Abby will hopefully get to flash her skillset on the court. Her self-proclaimed biggest strength is her shot variety, and I whole-heartedly agree. Her go-to is always putting it in the deep corner, saying "that's my shot", but has the versatility to tip and tool to keep the blockers guessing.

She also keeps a broader perspective on what it means to be a Texas Longhorn. Thinking about the alumni of this program, Abby remarked "They're just all amazing human beings and they leave a lasting impact on the program... I still get nervous when I talk to Logan and Madi, I'm fangirling over them." You and the rest of the NCAA volleyball fanbase, Abby. And one day, with continued hard work and positive energy, Abby has the potential to join those ranks of being a Longhorn Legend admired by the next generation of athletes.