Talking Texas 2025s and Abby Vander Wal

Vander Wal Talks Texas Commitment:

Abby Vander Wal is a junior 6-foot-3 outside hitter for Timothy Christian School in Elmhurst, Ill. She also plays on the First Alliance Gold club team and was part of Team USA’s U19 squad that won the gold medal in Croatia, claiming a reverse sweep over Turkey.

This year, Vander Wal is putting up both incredible and amazingly efficient numbers. She is averaging 4.3 kills per set in 19 matches as the Trojans have jumped out to a 16-4 record, 2-1 in the Metro Suburban Blue Conference. She’s hitting at an eye-popping 60.6%.

“I think I’m not afraid of the block anymore and that’s been a big difference,” she said. “After facing massive blocks in Croatia and Mexico I figure out how to change the shot or attack the block.”

Vander Wal said she’s looking forward to mild winters and blazing college matches with the Texas Longhorns. She’s one of three recruits who announced their intentions over the summer to commit to the Longhorns, joining two other major recruits in Callie Krueger and Addison Gaido from the high school class of 2025.

“I knew I wanted to go there going into the day when I arrived,” she said. “The coaches, players, culture, campus, facilities everything was perfect.

Vander Wal also considered looking at Big 10 schools including Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn St. and Purdue, but Texas won her over. She said moving forwad she believes her strengths include her shot selection, “trying to score the best I can.” And that “serve-receive is always a struggle.”

Krueger is considered the top libero from the class of ‘25 in the nation and doesn’t live far from UT, currently a junior at Cedar Park. The 5-foot-6 Timberwolves co-captain has already tallied 400 digs on the season, averaging about four per set over 87 sets. Her career high came last year with 474 digs in 129 sets and she’s well on her way to shattering that mark

Gaido is also a Texas native, attending Georgetown High School. She is a 6-foot-5 dominating presence on the outside and the block for the Eagles. She has already eclipsed the 1,000-kill mark and holds a 41.3% kill success rate.

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