In tennis, Benet’s Aniya Warren would be called a human ball return.
There is no such corresponding term in volleyball, but there are few players comparable to Warren, whose insatiable desire to retrieve every ball is becoming the stuff of legend.
“She’s relentless, and I think that makes her different from the rest,” Benet sophomore middle hitter Lynney Tarnow said. “She’s just a libero you can always rely on and trust, and I’m glad to have her on my team, for sure.”
Warren, a 5-foot-9 junior who has committed to Indiana, contributed 447 digs, 91 assists and 21 aces to help the Redwings (39-3) reach the Class 4A state championship match for the second straight season.
Many of those digs came on balls that some liberos wouldn’t try to touch, let alone keep in play. But Warren, the 2023 Naperville Sun Girls Volleyball Player of the Year, does.
“I just go,” she said. “At the end of the day, if you just go for it and give it your all, I think that’s what makes the difference between good and great. I always want to do my best for my teammates. I never want to fail them.”
Warren rarely failed, even when plays ultimately didn’t go Benet’s way. She was the best defensive player on the floor in every match the Redwings played and was often the best player overall.
That was the case at the state finals at Illinois State’s CEFCU Arena in Normal. Warren led all players with 20 digs in Benet’s 25-19, 24-26, 25-16 victory over Willowbrook in the semifinals on Nov. 10. Then she had a match-high 22 digs in the Redwings’ 25-22, 18-25, 25-16 loss to Mother McAuley in the championship match the next day.
Several of Warren’s digs against McAuley came against Michigan-bound senior outside hitter Ellie White, who is widely considered to be the best player in the state.
The play that epitomizes Warren best came in the second set, when she crashed into a courtside table while chasing a ball. She somehow kept the ball alive, although the Redwings eventually lost the point.
“I’m not going to let any ball drop that’s still in play,” she said. “That ball in that corner, that’s still in play, so I’m going to go for it. It wasn’t the best touch, but I gave us another touch to possibly continue to get the point.”
The play seemed to spark the Redwings, who won the set. Benet coach Brad Baker wasn’t surprised.
“She’s giving 100%,” Baker said. “She’s willing to do whatever it takes to lead by example, lead with her voice. She does them both.”
Warren, a three-year starter, has always led by example. But she has become more vocal by necessity for a team that had just five seniors, two of whom played.
That began in the offseason.
“I knew I was going to have to take more control and to go after more stuff,” Warren said. “I went into the gym more, and I got more confident in myself to take up more court.”
Warren’s court coverage grew, but so did her knowledge of the game.
“My IQ grew a lot,” she said. “As you get older, your IQ grows more, and with my growing, I’m able to read the service more and be able to read the hitters more, which allows me to be a better player overall.”
Warren is the latest in a long line of terrific liberos at Benet that includes Natalie Canulli, Sheila Doyle, Tiffany Clark and Hattie Monson.
Doyle and Monson were Naperville Sun players of the year as seniors in 2012 and 2019, respectively. The Redwings won state championships both years.
Warren hasn’t won a state title despite playing in two finals.
“I feel really bad for the seniors because they don’t have another shot at this,” she said. “This is the second year in a row, and it just really hurts.”
Despite the loss, Warren was in her element.
“If you love the game, you love to be in these situations,” she said. “It’s like a big moment, a big stage, a lot of emotions.
“That’s where you want to be, and everyone’s goal is to be here and win.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
