Urbana University women’s volleyball coach Kara Hellmann announced Maggie Burns and Riley Adleta have each signed a National Letter of Intent to continue their academic and volleyball careers at Urbana University next fall.
“We are excited to welcome Maggie and Riley to the Urbana family,” Hellmann said. “Both of these young women come from strong high school and club programs and will have an immediate impact on our program. Maggie and Riley are both dynamic attackers and well-rounded in all aspects of the game. They will be great representatives of not only our team, but of Urbana University and our local community.”
Burns, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter from Louisville, Ky., joins the Blue Knights after playing for perennial powerhouse Assumption High School. The Rockets are the two-time defending state champions and were named 2018 national champions by prepvolleyball.com after finishing with a 43-0 record. The team is also ranked No. 1 by USA Today and Max Preps, while going 83-3 over the past two seasons. She plays her club ball with the KIVA national team and is among nearly 20 student-athletes committed to collegiate programs.
She carries a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and is undecided on a major at Urbana University.
Adleta, a native of West Chester, Ohio, becomes a Blue Knight after playing at Lakota East High School and the Northern Kentucky Volleyball Club (NKYVC). At 6-foot-1, she adds versatility with the ability to hit and pass. As a senior, she earned first-team all-conference and third-team all-district honors while being selected to play in the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association All-Star Match. Adleta totaled over 400 career kills and during her final season totaled 360 assists. She also earned the team’s Most Improved Player award as a junior and received the Captain Award as a senior.
Her father is a former NFL player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. Riley holds a 3.9 grade-point average and is a member of the National Honor Society. She plans on studying psychology at Urbana University.
UU women’s volleyball finished the 2018 season with the program’s highest win total in 12 years with a 21-12 overall record. The Blue Knights lose only one team member to graduation with 11 players returning from last year’s squad.
