Why a versatile player from Illinois committed to Wisconsin volleyball for 2025

Is she a right side hitter? Yes.

But most importantly, Addy Horner is a Badgers athlete.

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Or at least she will be in 2025 when she joins the University of Wisconsin volleyball program.

Horner made her commitment public Sunday, giving the program its third high-profile recruit in the first weekend of the commitment season.

Horner joins Madison Quest, a 6-foot-3 outside hitter from Pewaukee and Natalie Wardlow, a 6-5 middle blocker from Lincoln, Nebraska, to give coach Kelly Sheffield three top-20 recruits. PrepDig ranks Wardlow No. 15, Horner No. 16 and Quest No. 17.

While her collegiate destination is set, still to be determined is just where the 6-3 Horner will play for the Badgers.

Horner has played both setter and right side for her high school team, St. Francis in Wheaton, Illinois, and for her 1st Alliance club team.

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“She’s a jack of all trades,” said Trish Samolinski, her coach at 1st Alliance. “She is definitely a setter, but she’s the second-best attacker on our team. She’s been extremely dominant on the right side, blocking and attacking, and has put up impressive numbers all year, hitting in the .300-.400 range in almost every tournament.”

That flexibility is a skill that is especially admired by Sheffield, who has been following Horner’s performance throughout the season, Samolinski said.

“I think he likes her versatility and Kelly seems like the kind of coach who’s always looking for a way to win,” said Samolinski, who coached UW right side Devyn Robinson when she was 13. “He recognized her talent pretty early on and has been following her progress throughout the season. He’s been pretty consistent with her recruitment process and being involved in his interest in her.

“I think he recognizes someone who’s just scratching the surface. At 6-3 she is a good physical body and her setting and her attacking have progressed a ton. I think he just recognized an athlete and you can work with that in the Big Ten.”

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The Badgers already have the top setter in the 2024 recruiting class, Charlie Fuerbringer of Hermosa Beach, California, coming in, but there were no other setters lined up for the program in 2025.

When it comes to position, Horner is open to whatever comes her way. She has been a six-rotation player, setting when she’s in the back row and attacking when in the front.

“I’m not sure exactly how it will work,” Horner said. “I think wherever I fit into the team, whatever the team needs, I’m fine with doing either. I think they agree. I still have two more years to grow and get better and see if one of the two skyrockets. I’m flexible with whatever the team needs.”

If Sheffield and his staff have been monitoring Horner’s progression this season, she’s been following the Badgers considerably longer. She attended her first match at the UW Field House with tickets gifted by the family of former Badgers player Grace Loberg, a club teammate of her sister Haley, to celebrate her 13th birthday.

She was hooked.

“That was my first time in the gym and the energy was electric,” she said. “Seeing the fan base and watching how the players and coaches interact with each other, you could see how amazing the culture and atmosphere is. I knew immediately that was something I wanted to be a part of.”

Horner said she was aware UW coaches were watching several of her club matches, though she didn’t know if they were there to see her or other players on her team such as Abby Vander Wal, a top-5 recruit who committed to Texas.

She said she talked to nine other schools on Thursday, the first day coaches were allowed to contact recruits, but only scheduling UW for Friday. Among those schools she talked with the first day were Auburn, Maryland, Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana and Pepperdine.

“I enjoyed all the conversations I had with the coaches,” she said. “I probably packed them in a little too fast on Thursday. I looked at the programs and wanted to find a fit that would help me reach my full potential.”

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While she kept an open mind, she knew how she wanted things to play out, with an offer from UW.

“That was definitely my Plan A,” she said.

After talking with Sheffield and associate head coach Gary White in the morning, she talked with her high school and club coaches and her family before making her decision and calling Sheffield later in the day to commit.

Horner is following in the footsteps of another St. Francis product, Molly Haggerty, who led the school to four Illinois state championships. Haggerty’s sister, Maddie, helped coach St. Francis last season as it won the 2022 Class 3A state title, with Horner getting the kill for championship point.

She’s hoping to add to that resume over the next two seasons and looks forward to competing for titles with the Badgers.

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“I’ve always been a competitor,” she said. “Obviously, I’d love to play in the best competition I can, so that was a factor (in choosing UW).”

Horner’s 1st Alliance 16 Gold team has also been highly successful, going undefeated at the Northern Lights National Qualifier in Minneapolis, where it defeated Nebraska ONE for the championship. It was the third meeting between the teams, with Horner getting a chance to get acquainted across the net with future UW teammate Wardlow.

“When playing her I had no idea we’d be future teammates,” Horner said. “I think she’s a great player. A super-sweet girl. I have nothing but good things to say about her. I’m super excited for our future.”

From Samolinski’s point of view, that future should be bright both for Horner and the Badgers.

“I genuinely believe she’s just scratching the surface for how good she’s going to be,” she said. “Every time we step on the court to compete she continually gets better. In two more years I think she’ll be able to compete for a spot on the court.”