Elmhurst native Abby Vander Wal won her third international gold medal on Sunday, July 12, when the U.S. Women's U21 National Team swept Canada 25-18, 25-19, 25-21 in the final of the 2026 NORCECA U21 Pan American Cup at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.

The 6-foot-3 outside hitter, a Timothy Christian High School graduate who now plays for the University of Texas, has medaled at every international tournament she's entered. She won gold at the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championships in Croatia, where she was named tournament MVP and Best Outside Hitter, and again at the 2024 NORCECA U21 Continental Championships in Canada, according to her Texas Longhorns athletics profile.

Team USA dropped only one set across the entire 2026 tournament, according to USA Volleyball's official recap.

Vander Wal's roots in Elmhurst volleyball run deep. At Timothy Christian, she finished her senior season with 455 kills, 220 digs, 73 service aces, and 30 blocks while posting a .501 hitting percentage, according to her Gatorade Player of the Year profile. That clip ranked first in IHSA Class 2A and second in Illinois, per MaxPreps. She led the Trojans to a 39-3 record and the Class 2A state semifinals, capping a prep career that produced 1,398 kills.

The accolades followed. Vander Wal earned Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year honors, an AVCA First Team All-American selection, and a No. 2 national recruiting ranking from PrepDig.com in the Class of 2025.

She carried that production to Austin. As a freshman at Texas in 2025, Vander Wal played in all 30 matches and 107 sets, finishing with 280 kills, 34 blocks, and 67 digs, according to the Longhorns' roster page.

The daughter of Steve and Kristi Vander Wal comes from an athletic family. Her mother played basketball at Taylor University, her father played baseball there, and her brother Ben plays basketball at Furman, per the Texas athletics bio.

She returns to Texas this fall for her sophomore season with three international golds already on her résumé.