2025 Volleyball Roster
Jersey Number 8
Averie Hernandez
- Position:
- Outside Hitter/Opposite
- Height:
- 6-2
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Bloomington, Ill.
- High School:
- Normal Community West HS
- Prev School:
- Northwestern
2025 - Senior
- Academic All-Big Ten
- CSC Academic All-District
- Made 16 starts and appeared in all 29 matches in her final collegiate season
- Led the Illini in aces (28) and aces/set (0.26)
- Ranked fourth on the team in digs (194) and fifth in digs/set (1.83)
- Totaled eight matches with 10+ digs, including her lone double-double of the year in her final college match
- Secured five kills and five digs while starting in the season opener against South Dakota State (8/29/25)
- Played in all four sets while collecting five digs, one kill, and an ace versus Vanderbilt (8/31/25)
- Notched eight digs, two kills, two aces, and two assists at Notre Dame (9/5/25)
- Collected four kills and seven digs at #3 Louisville (9/7/25)
- Set a season-high with 12 digs, along with two kills and an ace, against Miami (9/13/25)
- Tallied 12 digs, four kills, and an ace in the Illini’s home opener vs. Iowa State (9/20/25)
- Logged 10 digs, six kills, a season-most three aces, and two blocks against Eastern Illinois (9/21/25)
- Notched two kills, five digs, and one ace in the win over #10 Purdue (9/28/25)
- Tied a season-high with 12 digs, along with one kill and one ace, at home against Michigan State (10/5/25)
- Equaled her career-high with four aces in the Illini's road win at Rutgers (10/11/25)
- Logged 10 digs in the Illini's road win at Ohio State (10/17/25)
- Tied her career-high with four aces to go along with 10 digs vs. Iowa (11/2/25)
- Recorded a season-high seven kills and made 11 digs against #25 Penn State (11/9/25)
- Finished with five kills and five digs against #11 Wisconsin (11/15/25)
- Logged seven kills, nine digs, and one block at UCLA (11/20/25)
- Recorded seven kills and four digs at #16 USC (11/22/25)
- Finished with nine kills and a .348 hitting percentage while also adding six digs and three blocks against #15 Indiana (11/26/25)
- Collected a season-high 14 kills, 12 digs, three assists, two aces, and two blocks against Northwestern (11/28/25)
2024 - Junior
- Hit .231 with eight kills while adding a pair of digs, a pair of assists and a block against Cincinnati (8/30/24)
- Amassed six kills, five digs, a pair of aces and a pair of blocks at Bowling Green (8/31/24)
- Tallied a team-high 12 kills and seven digs against Illinois State (9/3/24)
- Notched eight kills, three assists and a solo block against Toledo (9/6/24)
- Posted her first double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs at Iowa State (9/7/24)
- Earned seven kills two assists, three digs and an ace against Wake Forest (9/8/24)
- Playing in all four sets, tallied an ace, 16 kills, two assists and four digs while playing #24 Dayton (9/13/24)
- Logged 12 digs, 17 kills for a double-double against WKU (9/14/24)
- Tallied 12 kills, four block assists, an ace and eight digs all while playing Missouri (9/20/24)
- Posted eight kills, three aces and four digs at Lipscomb (9/21/24)
- Recorded six kills, five digs and a block at #11 Oregon (9/27/24)
- Earned 10 digs, six kills, two aces and a block at Washington (9/28/24)
- Amassed 11 kills, four digs, two assists and an ace while playing #2 Nebraska (10/3/24)
- Recorded 11 kills, four digs and two aces playing Northwestern (10/6/24)
- Recorded eight kills, four digs and two block assists in a match at Michigan (10/11/24)
- Dished out 10 kills, four digs and three aces playing at Michigan State (10/12/24)
- Earned 12 kills, six digs and a block assist playing Indiana (10/16/24)
- Recorded five kills and digs, an ace and a block assist in a match against Maryland (10/20/24)
- Tallied 11 digs, six kills, two assists and a block assist at #2 Nebraska. (10/25/24)
- Earned 12 kills, seven digs and an assist in a match at Iowa (10/27/24)
- Logged seven digs and five kills at Northwestern (11/1/24)
- Recorded eight kills and three digs in a match against Wisconsin (11/3/24)
- Posted with 16 kills, six block assists, five digs and an assist against #20 USC (11/8/24)
- Amassed 11 kills, four digs and two block assists against Ohio State (11/9/24)
- Recorded eight kills, three digs and two assists at #4 Penn State (11/15/24)
- Accumulated eight kills, six digs, two aces and a block at#8 Purdue (11/17/24)
- Tallied six kills, three digs, two block assists and a solo block in a match with Rutgers (11/22/24)
- Recorded eight digs, six kills, two assists and an ace against UCLA (11/23/24)
- Amassed 12 digs, eight kills, two aces and a block against #15 Minnesota (11/27/24)
- Logged nine kills, five digs, three blocks and an assist at Indiana (11/29/24)
- Hit .324 with 14 kills, adding a pair of blocks and seven digs in NCAA Tournament match against [8] UNI (12/6/24)
2023 - Sophomore // at Northwestern
- Played in 25 matches, making nine starts
- Amassed double-digit kills on 14 separate occasions
- Tallied a season-best 21 kills against Indiana (10/29/23)
- Added a pair of assists at Northeastern (9/9/23)
- Logged a season-best 14 digs against the Hoosiers (10/29/24)
- Posted four aces against Illinois (11/25/24)
- Tallied three blocks at Penn State (11/28/24)
2022 - Freshman // at Northwestern
- Tallied 15 kills, 11 digs, and nine aces as a first-year
- Recorded her first kill in her first collegiate action against Northeastern (8/27/22)
- Tallied six kills against Rutgers (10/7/22)
- Had three aces against Purdue (10/28/22)
- Notched three kills on six attempts against Ohio St. (11/4/22)
High School
- Nominated for 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year
- 2018, 2019, and 2020 All-State selection
- 2018, 2019, and 2020 First Team All-Conference
- Big 12 Scholar Athlete
- 2018 and 2019 Lincoln Invite All-Tournament Team
- Four-year letter winner
- Two-time captain
- Holds both single-season and career kill records at Normal West
- Over 1,000 career high school kills
- Led team to Regional Championship in 2018 and 2021
- Played seven seasons for Illini Elite Volleyball Club
- Ranked 35th best played in class of 2022 by Prep Volleyball
Personal
- Parents are Johnny and Hilarie Hernandez
- Father played basketball at Eastern Illinois
- Mother played volleyball at UIC
- Sister Sydnie plays volleyball at Bowling Green
Illini Swim & Dive | Volleyball Crossover
Thursday, May 01
Illini Volleyball | Fallon Signing Day
Thursday, May 01
Illini Volleyball | Questions with Kayla
Monday, February 24
Illini Volleyball | Kayla Burbage is Back!
Thursday, January 30
