Already anchored by a core of impressive sophomores, the No. 17 Illinois volleyball squad is continuing to improve. On Wednesday, head coach Don Hardin announced the signings of three in-state recruits.

“We signed three excellent players this morning and we can finally comment on them, although two of them have been long-standing verbal commitments for a couple of years now,” Hardin said. “It’s been awkward tip-toeing around, not being able to say anything about them even though everyone knew they were coming to Illinois.”

The trio includes Jessica Jendryk (Wheaton, Ill), Erin Johnson (Crystal Lake, Ill) and Jackie Wolfe (Wheaton, Ill).

“What’s special and unique about them is that they’re three of the best players in the state,” Hardin said. “Certainly in the case of Erin and Jess, virtually every Big Ten school was after them, so to keep them home and keep them wearing orange and blue is a big deal and it keeps us moving on the upward swing with our program.”

Jendryk is a 6-foot-1 star middle blocker at Benet Academy but will likely play outside hitter with the Illini. Entering the season, she was ranked No. 45 on the prepvolleyball.com list of “Senior Aces.” She also ranks in the top 10 for career blocks in IHSA history.

And the recruit will have a lot to live up to when she arrives on campus, already drawing comparisons to a current Huff Hall fan favorite.

“She’s a lot like DeBruler actually as far as her skill set and her athleticism, maybe a little bit taller, maybe not quite as refined a player as DeBruler was at this time, but certainly has the potential to be an outside hitter of that caliber,” assistant coach Kevin Hambly said.

Also preparing to don the orange and blue is 6-foot-3 middle blocker Erin Johnson. Johnson is a four-year starter at Crystal Lake South, where she set a school record with 139 blocks her sophomore year. Johnson was also one of the Chicago Sun Times’ Top Players of 2008.

“These two together are every bit the level of competitors and athletes we see in Michelle Bartsch as a freshman,” Hardin said of Johnson and Jendryk. “I anticipate they’re going to make a huge impact early in their careers.”

Wolfe chose Illinois later than Jendryk and Johnson. But as a setter, she is an important addition.

“She’s going to give us competition at the setter position for the next four years which is extremely valuable to have depth and competition at that position,” Hardin said. “She’s a tremendous athlete and is competing right now in the Sports Performance club in Chicago, which is really well known for its turn out of tremendous setters, so she’s going to be running her own team with that club for another year, which is really going to help her get ready for college.”

While the coaches plan to have Wolfe focus on the setter position at Illinois, she is a versatile athlete who has also played outside hitter. This year at Wheaton-Warrenville South, Wolfe showcased this versatility, tallying 354 assists, 141 digs, 129 kills, 39 blocks and 36 service aces.

Because the Illini are a successful, young team and will be losing just one player from the current rotation after this season – setter Lizzie Bazzetta – the trio will face tough competition for playing time at Huff Hall.

“Right now we’re having a good season and everybody’s happy, but we have no moves to make,” Hardin said. “If something happens in the middle, we’re really in trouble, so this gives us depth. But with that depth comes the headache of competition.”

Hardin credits Hambly and the rest of the coaching staff for the recruiting success, saying this group carries on the tradition of recent classes for the Illini.

“My staff has really worked tremendously effectively in the Chicago area and around the nation getting the top players that are targeted for future National Team performance and as potential future Olympians,” Hardin said.