Girls volleyball: Warren welcomes any challenge while leading Benet to three straight 2nd-place state finishes
Benet Academy senior libero Aniya Warren welcomes pressure.
She welcomes being on the court knowing the name on the front of her jersey will bring out the opposing teams’ absolute best efforts, wanting to beat one of the state of Illinois’ all-time most-decorated girls high school volleyball programs.
She welcomes having to stare down the serves and arm swings of some of the best players in the state and country.
“I have no fear at all,” said Warren, regarded as the top prep libero in the country. “Bring the heat. I want the smoke. I have the motivation of wanting to be great. It comes internally. My parents worked for everything they have in life and they instilled that in me. You show up every day, no matter what. Both my parents have a lot of energy and they raised me that way. I want to be fired up at all moments to go after it. Any opportunity you are given, it’s what you make of it. You make it your own.”
And Warren has taken opportunity and run with it, leaving an indelible mark on the Benet program, becoming the only player to be a four-year varsity libero in longtime coach Brad Baker’s program.
Her exploits on the court both as a defensive dandy and leader helped Benet finish second in Class 4A for the third year in a row, and make her the easy choice as the repeat Captain of the 2024 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area girls volleyball team. Warren also earned the honor in 2023.
“Aniya is the complete libero,” Baker said. “She serve-receives at a high level, makes great defensive reads and has elite athleticism. Aniya’s defensive IQ keeps improving. Her ability to read situations and plays is years above what is normal for players her age.”
The 5-9 Warren, a three-time Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association (IVA) Class 4A all-state first-team selection, finished the season with 312 digs, helping Benet to a 40-2 mark. Warren had 24 digs in Benet’s two state finals matches against Huntley and Chicago Marist, making only one receiving error during her most recent Normal residency.
“I play with a lot of heart and passion,” said Warren, who plays for the 1st Alliance club. “It’s more of the way you think toward it and your attitude toward defense. No ball is dead until it hits the floor. Defense is 90 percent effort and 10 percent skill. Don’t get me wrong, you need a lot of skill, but you have to have the confidence in yourself to go get balls that nobody else thinks you can go after. No matter what, I am going to keep giving it my all — no matter what the outcome might be.”
Benet junior outside hitter Brooklynne Brass said Warren’s contributions to Benet’s success this season were significant.
“She makes a huge difference on our team,” she said. “What makes her stand out from the pack is how vocal she is and her hustle. She goes for every ball all-out and does not let a ball touch the floor. Her communication is amazing, which is shown by the way she controls the whole back row.”
Warren, who will continue her academic and volleyball careers at Big Ten Conference entrant Purdue University next fall, is particularly passionate when it comes to serve-receive talk.
“There is pressure being a libero, but the pressure is a privilege,” said Warren, a member and team captain of the USA Volleyball U19 gold medalist team.
“It’s my responsibility to keep the backcourt in line and make sure serve-receive isn’t getting into my head. Serve-receive is more mental than it is physical. Don’t overcomplicate it. You have to keep calm because everything starts with the pass. If your first contact with the ball is great, your system runs better. This whole game is based off how great your first contact is. Being a first contact player is a lot of pressure and a privilege. It’s my responsibility to pass the ball better and make the team better to get us into the best positions possible to score points. I want us to be in the best position to score points and allow our offense to run how great it can run.”
Baker said Warren’s leadership and people skills rival that of her on-court prowess. “Our team looks up to Aniya,” he said. “She is someone who brings people together. How she treats others, it is impossible to not want to be around her.”
Brass puts Warren in a league of her own.
“Aniya’s determination and work ethic make her the player she is,” she said. “She is different. Aniya is not like many players.”
Warren had a chance last week to reflect on her time in the Benet program where she was part of four teams that racked up 148 wins and finished as state runners-up three times (Benet advanced to a 4A sectional final in Warren’s freshman season).
“I’m truly grateful for every opportunity that coach has given me,” she said. “I’m extremely blessed to come through a program like this and compete at such a high level. Not a lot of people get to go downstate multiple times, let alone three times. It shows you how special Benet is and how coach Baker has built something very good — a competitive program that gets you ready for the next level. This program pushed me to be great and pushed me to places I am today.”