11/12- Illini Volleyball Pleased With Recruiting Class

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.- The recent recruiting success for Illinois volleyball is paying dividends this season as the Illini are ranked 17th in the country. On Wednesday, Illinois head coach Don Hardin announced the next group of future Illini with the signing of 6-1 outside hitter Jessica Jendryk (Wheaton, Ill./Benet Academy), 6-3 middle blocker Erin Johnson (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South), and 5-9 setter Jackie Wolfe (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton-Warrenville South H.S.). "All three are outstanding people from supportive and enthusiastic families who will add to the family environment already established here," Hardin said. "They will keep us on the winning track and represent us in a first-class manner." Jendryk, who will likely play outside hitter for Illinois, stars at middle blocker for the Benet Redwings, who finished the regular season 34-1 and is ranked ninth in the country by prepvolleyball.com. Benet was also ranked the fourth-ranked team in the pre-season by the Chicago Sun-Times and fourth nationally by prepvolleyball.com. Jendryk plays in the heart of the one of the high school volleyball hotbeds in the state and the country. All four teams in its sectional were ranked in top 75 nationally. Benet advanced out of that group to this weekends IHSA Class 4A state tournament. Jendryk has been at the center of the Benet success under head coach Brad Baker, leading the team with 98 blocks and a .447 hitting percentage. She was named to the Sun-Times All-State Team and not only earned All- East Suburban Catholic Conference honors for the third straight year, but also the leagues MVP. She entered the season ranked 45th in prepvolleyball.coms list of the nations "Senior Aces." The editors of the site call Jendryk a "great blocker, the product of equal parts lateral quickness, leaping ability and desire. She is a candidate to improve over her career and a sure fire All-Big Ten performer one day." Jendryk moved into the top ten in career blocks in IHSA history. She has played for three club teams during the last five years, most recently Sports Performance (coached by Rick Butler), which placed fifth at the AAU Open Division championship in Orlando, Fla., where Jendryk was named an All-American. Johnson, likewise, is from a successful high school program in Crystal Lake South coached by Jorie Fontana. The Gators advanced to the sectional final (Sweet 16) this year. Johnson was ranked 57th in prepvolleyball.com. The editors describe Johnson as "a player who will work as hard in the most mundane practice drills as she will in the most important matches. A natural blocker, Johnson evokes fear in would-be attackers trying to find space between the tangle of arms and those big outstretched hands. Her physical play and take no prisoners attitude will be perfect in the Big Ten." Johnson was the Northwest Heralds #1 Player to Watch and was listed among Chicago Sun-Times Top 50 Players in 2008. She was also named the Daily Heralds top-rated middle hitter in the Fox Valley area. The four-year starter is a two-time Fox Valley All-Conference performer. She set a school record for blocks with 139 as a sophomore. As a junior, Johnson was named to the Pioneer Press Great Northwest and Daily Herald Fox Valley all-area teams. After setting a CLS school record for hitting efficiency for a middle hitter (53 percent), she garnered Chicago Tribune and Champaign News-Gazette All-State Special Mention accolades. Johnson played for Club Fusion (coached by Chris Bronke), which placed 11th in the Open Division at the JVDA National Championships in 2008. She was named to the All-Tournament team at the JVDA Showcase. Johnson also qualified for the USA Youth National A2 team that placed second and third at the Junior International Division High Performance Championships in 2007 and 2008, respectively. "At 6-3 and 6-1, Erin and Jess are quick and agile athletes with advanced skills," Hardin said. "Without question, they will make an impact early in their careers." Like Jendryk, Wolfe played for Sports Performance, competing with 17 Mizuno (coached by Christine Federico). Wolfe is a versatile player, playing outside hitter and setter, a position she likely will play at Illinois. This season the Wheaton-Warrenville South product tallied 354 assists, 141 digs, 129 kills, 39 blocks and 36 service aces. Playing for head coach Bill Schreier, Wolfe has 205 kills, 70 blocks, 324 digs, 877 assists and 102 aces combined in the past three seasons. Wolfe came up big in the regional final victory over Wheaton North. She had back-to-back kills in the third set in the win over the Falcons. The Tigers finished 24-13 overall in 2008, the victim of playing in a tough area to get through in the state tournament series, falling to Glenbard East in three sets in the sectional. "Jackie Wolfe is the kind of athlete who will really blossom at the setter position. Her athletic ability and outstanding attitude will provide us with competition at the setting position for years to come. Jackie also has another season to train and compete with the Sports Performance volleyball club, which is renowned for its production of great setters." "I credit the great recruiting efforts of our staff, especially Kevin Hambly, for their final decision to be part of our future, he added. "We were able to win out over many established successful programs."