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Southern Illinois Salukis – Official Athletics Website

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois Volleyball has signed five freshmen to its 2025 recruiting class. Meghan Anderson, Emma Christian, Addison Kerr, Julia Laidig and Angelique Pena will join the Salukis in the fall. Head Coach Brittany Harry is proud of her inaugural class and is excited to get to work. Anderson, one of three setters in the […]

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CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois Volleyball has signed five freshmen to its 2025 recruiting class. Meghan Anderson, Emma Christian, Addison Kerr, Julia Laidig and Angelique Pena will join the Salukis in the fall.

Head Coach Brittany Harry is proud of her inaugural class and is excited to get to work.

Anderson, one of three setters in the class, will bring a winning mindset as the ultimate competitor, Harry believes.

“We are so happy to add Meghan to the Saluki family. She comes from the storied Skutt Catholic program in Omaha and has spent time in the program running a 6-2 and 5-1 during her career there where they have won several 4A State Championships. She has winning in her blood and is a fierce competitor that is sure to add immediate competition into our setter position.”

Christian will join the Salukis as the second Kansas City native, and Harry is excited to use her versatile skill set.

“Emma Christian is a do-it-all kind of player. Having played for Dynasty out of Kansas City she is a high-skilled player who has a really high volleyball IQ on the court. She has spent time as a setter and defensive specialist/libero and she brings this calm competitiveness energy to the court.  We are thrilled to add Emma to our Saluki family.”

Kerr’s connection with Harry made her recruitment easier than most, and the first-year head coach is ready to get her into Davies Gym.

“It was so fun recruiting Addie to Carbondale. Addie is from Champaign, which is also my hometown and coincidentally her high school coach at St. Thomas More, Brad Dalton, was my freshman year JV coach way back at Central High School. Add the connection with both of us playing club at Illini Elite, it was an easy ‘yes’ to want Addie to come play for us at SIU. Addie will add depth to the setter position. I knew I was getting a gritty competitor with our common connections and I am so excited that she will be with us this fall in a Saluki uniform.”

Laidig has stayed true to Southern throughout her recruiting process, something that did not go unnoticed by Harry.

“Julia is a defensive specialist from Woodstock, IL who played club for VC United. From my first conversation with Julia, I knew I was getting an all-in kid who would fit the mold of the type of player we will recruit to SIU. It is fairly common for kids to reopen their recruitment when a coaching change occurs but that was not the case with Julia. Julia has stayed committed to SIU volleyball and it was great getting to know her this spring. Julia has experience playing just about every position on the court and I am excited to bring her poise and maturity to our program.”

Pena’s hitting prowess at the net makes her a natural fit for the current roster and has sky-high potential.

“Angie is one of those kids who we just clicked within the recruiting process. Angie is a utility hitter who has spent time at every position at the net. She has been trained with a lot of discipline having spent time playing club at Sports Performance and 1st Alliance in Chicago. Along with top-notch training, she also brings a high standard of winning with her. Angie has a super high ceiling to improve and we are excited to add her arm to our gym in the fall.”

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on X (@SIU_Volleyball), Instagram (@SIU_Volleyball) and Facebook (SalukiVolleyball). Fans can also download the “Salukis” Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.     





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