Girls volleyball: Willowbrook’s Hannah Kenny commits to defending NCAA runner-up Louisville

Hannah Kenny will be playing a new position in college, and will be doing so at the highest level.

And she can’t wait to do it.

Kenny, a Willowbrook junior and cornerstone of that program’s wildly successful last two seasons, made her verbal commitment this week to defending NCAA runner-up Louisville.

Kenny has been a setter and hitter at Willowbrook, and for her 1st Alliance club team. But she has been recruited to play libero at Louisville.

“From my perspective I feel like it will be fun to take on the challenge,” Kenny said. “I will have to work super hard to be good enough to play. That is something I am ready for. Libero will be a super fun position.”

Kenny in 2022 helped lead Willowbrook to a 36-3 record, West Suburban Gold title, 29-match win streak and sectional final. Her freshman season Willowbrook won its first sectional title. She’s the second Kenny sister to commit to a high-level Division I program this year – older sister Calli committed to Marquette in April.

She first had contact with Louisville in mid-June, kept in contact after AAU nationals and went to the Cardinals’ camp. Kenny returned to the Louisville campus for an official visit last weekend where a scholarship offer was extended.

“I didn’t take that much time to make up my mind, the next day or two,” Kenny said. “I’m super excited to be part of an awesome program with the history they have and the amazing people, the coaches and the players, and to be able to compete at the highest level.”

Under head coach Dani Busboom Kelly, who took over at Louisville in 2016 after serving as an assistant at her alma mater Nebraska, the Cardinals have emerged as a national power. Louisville had its then-best season in program history in 2021, finishing 32-1 with an unbeaten regular season and reaching its first Final Four. The Cardinals last season advanced to their second straight Final Four and first NCAA Championship match before falling to top-seeded Texas.

“When I went on the visit, watching their practices, it was something I loved,” Kenny said. “The atmosphere and the environment, it was so competitive and high energy.”

Kenny said she was comforted about the idea of moving to libero by the fact that Louisville’s current libero, Elena Scott, was also a setter before playing there.

“I think that helped me feel better about; the coaches know what to look for and I’ll be able to train the right way to be successful,” Kenny said. “I’m super fast on defense, twitchy, and that athleticism goes together. I went to their camp and they could see that I was coachable and someone they could teach.”

Her college commitment firmed up, Kenny looks forward to another big season at Willowbrook, her final one with big sister.

“Super excited – I think we have a chance to do really well again,” Kenny said. “We have a lineup of returning players, we all know what we can accomplish and what we want if we put the work in. The last year playing with my sister, if there is a year to do super well this is the year.”