MARIA HORNING, Eastern University
Volleyball – Class of 2012
Maria Horning was a star on the court for the Eastern women’s volleyball program from 2008-2011. As Eastern joined the Middle Atlantic Conference in 2008, Horning is the first representative from Eastern University to enter the MAC Hall of Fame.
She joined Eastern Volleyball in the same season the Eagles joined the MAC. She and her classmates had an immediate impact on the program and the league. The Eagles went 35-2 in her first season and Horning was named Freedom Conference Player of the Year while garnering AVCA Third-Team All-America honors.
She earned four All-America awards in their time in St. Davids. Horning repeated as a third-team honoree in 2009 and earned first-team selections in 2010 and 2011. She earned four Freedom Conference Player of the Year Honors. With a nearly perfect GPA in Economic Development, she earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2010 and 2011.
The Eagles went 133-15 and won four Freedom Conference Championships in her four years. She played in 147 of those 148 matches. Only one of her side’s 15 defeats, a loss at Augusta College in 2008, came to an unranked team. In 37 matches against Freedom Conference opponents, the Eagles did not drop a set. Eastern went 36-3 in 2011.
She amassed over 5,300 assists and 1300 digs in her career. In a stunning four-set win over Juniata in the 2011 Regional Final, she recorded 51 assists. Eastern won the third set of that match 36-34 and rallied from a 24-17 deficit in the fourth set to win 28-26. The Eagles then beat the University of St. Thomas in their opening game in St. Louis to become the first Eastern team to reach an NCAA Final Four.
Since graduation, Horning has worked in economic development and leadership training endeavors. She worked for three seasons as an assistant with Eastern’s Volleyball Program, and she will be returning to Coach Birtwistle’s staff for 2023.
Horning was inducted into Eastern’s Hall of Honor as an individual in 2017, and as part of the 2011 Volleyball Team in 2022.