Former Wisconsin volleyball stars Lauren Carlini and Dana Rettke will represent UW as members of the United States 2024 Women’s Olympic Volleyball Roster in Paris, France this summer.
USA Volleyball, the national governing body of volleyball in the United States, announced the 12-woman team on Wednesday. Both Rettke and Carlini will make their Olympic debuts in Paris.
Carlini, alongside Illinois alumnus Jordyn Poulter, will play setter for the 2024 team while Rettke, arguably the greatest player in Wisconsin history, will play middle blocker during her quest for gold.
Carlini, an Aurora, Illinois native, was an AVCA First-Team All-American and All-Big Ten Team member in four consecutive seasons as a Badger. She also took home 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year nods and Big Ten Setter of the Year in both 2014 and 2015.
After being named the 2012 Gatorade National Player of the Year in volleyball, Carlini won 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and experienced UW’s title game run the same year.
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A ๐๐๐ congratulations to our very own @laurencarlini & @dana_rettke on being named to the 2024 Women's National Volleyball Olympic Roster!! pic.twitter.com/m6I4oyvDmi
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) June 5, 2024
Like Carlini, Rettke earned nearly every collegiate award possible during her career with Wisconsin. An AVCA First-Team All-American in all four years, Rettke was named the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year twice in 2020 and 2022.
Her most infamous moment arrived during Wisconsin’s championship-winning season against Nebraska in 2021. As a perennial title favorite, the triumph was Rettke’s first and only during her time as a Badger.
Rettke also received 2019 Big Ten Player of the Year, 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 2019, 2020, and 2021 AVCA Northeast Region Player of the Year nods from 2019-21.
Captained by three-time Olympian Karch Kiraly, the U.S. Women play their final preliminary round of the Volleyball Nations League this week in Fukuoka, Japan.