The Basel, Switzerland, transplant, who led Cal's volleyball team with 701 assists and eight double-doubles in her first season on campus, was never able to come to Berkeley on an official visit due to COVID-related policies in place at the time. A complete stranger to the area whose experience in English was limited to what she had learned in school, Maeder was determined to overcome what some would see as significant obstacles in order to attend a Power Five school on the West Coast. Her research led her to Cal, whose biology and chemistry programs stood out to her in addition to the historic strength of the volleyball program.

Inspired, she sent an e-mail to head coach Sam Crosson, expressing her interest along with a video link that showed her playing at a high level alongside college graduates – enough for him to arrange a video call with her. Crosson was quickly impressed with Maeder's drive and independence in addition to her volleyball skills, which eventually led to the Bears making her an offer and triggering a cross-globe move for the 18-year-old.

Where many others would have collapsed under the pressure, Maeder thrived. She arrived on campus early, enrolling in a summer class to get a feel for both learning in English and measuring the standard of knowledge that she would need to succeed in a rigorous academic environment. After that, it was a matter of balancing volleyball and school, a task which she took to with ease.

"Annalea has truly grown in her time here at Cal," says Crosson. "She has done an extraordinary job of making that transition."

Maeder's path to the U.S. differs from that of many other international student-athletes in one key aspect – she had already been living on her own for three years before she moved to Berkeley because her club team played its home matches two hours away from Basel.

"I think that getting used to living by myself helped me adjust to being here," she says. "Not to say that it's been easy – the time difference is very hard, and I can't just call my mom whenever I have a problem."

The nine-hour time difference between Maeder and her family necessitates some improvising from both of them. "When one of us has free time, we call the other," Maeder explains. "There's a lot of missed calls. We have to do it that way, because I can't always predict my schedule."

That was particularly true after her first few months on campus. Although the demands of both a full-time school schedule and a volleyball schedule would daunt most, Maeder felt that she could handle even more. She interviewed with and was offered a position at Voyager Consulting, a student-run organization that provides consulting services to all manner of clients, including Fortune 500 companies. 

Maeder, a molecular environmental biology major, appreciates the atmosphere that Voyager Consulting cultivates, which features individuals from all walks of life. "It's great to learn from these diverse, ambitious people and be in that environment – it's a good balance with my life as an athlete."

Despite her sometimes-hectic schedule, Maeder feels fulfilled in all of the ways that matter. "It's important that it doesn't ever feel like work," she concludes. "I really feel that I've grown as both a person and as an athlete here."