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Foecke, Larson, Robinson, KRolfzen & JWO Make Preliminary Team USA Roster


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Former Huskers Mikaela Foecke, Jordan Larson, Kelsey Robinson, Kadie Rolfzen and Justine Wong-Orantes were named to Team USA's preliminary roster for the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, USA Volleyball announced Wednesday.

 

Team USA coach Karch Kiraly will trim the 30-player roster to 25 by May 11. Kiraly can designate 14 players from that pool to compete in each week's matches.

 

Pinnacle Bank Arena will host pool play June 4-6, featuring Team USA, Korea, Germany and Brazil. Tournament all-session tickets can be purchased here.

 

The Volleyball Nations League is an annual international women's volleyball tournament contested by 16 national teams. Wong-Orantes, Larson and Robinson were on the roster in 2018, when Team USA won the inaugural tournament.

 

OWH

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Here's a great breakdown of why nearly half of the 30 girls on the initial roster are from Big Ten Country.

 

 

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30 Player FIVB Roster Flooded With Prep Dig State Connections

USA Volleyball just released their 30 player roster that consists of the top players in the country to compete in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League.  In fact, one of the playing dates will be at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, the home of the Huskers, June 4-6 with matches against Korea, Germany, and Brazil.  Take a look at some of the players on the roster with connections to some of our Prep Dig states!

 

Justine Wong-Orantes – Libero (Cypress, CA – Nebraska)

Wong-Orantes owned the backcourt as a Husker with 1st Team All American honors in 2015 and 2016.  In 2015 she was a member of the national championship squad for the Huskers while also being named to the all tournament team.

 

Tori Dixon – Middle Blocker (Burnsville, MN – Minnesota)

A very decorated international resume, Dixon’s career started at Burnsville High School where she led the Blazers to a 3rd place finish at the state tournament and was a star at Northern Lights being named tournament MVP and All-Tournament at AAUs for a team that won back to back titles in Orlando.  After high school Dixon went on to become an All American for Minnesota.

 

Lauren Carlini – Setter (Aurora, IL – Wisconsin)

The darling of Wisconsin volleyball, one of the most household names for Wisconsin athletes, Carlini took Wisconsin to a new level as soon as her Freshman year under first year head coach Kelly Sheffield where they were the national runner-up to Penn State.  

 

Lauren Gibbemeyer – Middle Blocker (St. Paul, Minnesota – Minnesota)

Gibbemeyer may have started the undersized (6’2) revolution of middle blockers with her speed and athleticism.  She played for Cretin-Derham Hall and club at Northern Lights where she was part of a team that went 52-0 their 17s year enroute to a national title.  She would later become a two time All-American at Minnesota.

 

Jordan Larson – Outside Hitter (Hooper, Nebraska – Nebraska)

“The Governor”, her resume is loaded with collegiate and international glory which includes a national title with Nebraska and two Olympic medals, but the Logan View High School alum played her club ball with Nebraska Juniors.

 

Sarah Wilhite Parsons – Outside Hitter (Eden Prairie, Minnesota – Minnesota)

Wilhite Parsons really burst onto the collegiate volleyball scene her Senior year being named Player of the Year while at Minnesota.  However, before she became a Gopher she was the 2011 and 2012 Player of the Year in Minnesota at Eden Prairie High School and won a national title with Northern Lights in 17 Open.

 

Mikaela Foecke – Outside Hitter (West Point, Iowa – Nebraska)

Another Nebraska legend , Foecke was able to win a state title for Holy Trinity Catholic in Iowa before becoming a Husker while being named National Gatorade Player of the Year.  Foecke played her club ball for Iowa Rockets and Fusion (IL).

 

Hannah Tapp – Middle Blocker (Stewartville, MN – Minnesota)

Paige Tapp – Middle Blocker (Stewartville, MN – Minnesota)

The Tapp Twins might be the most famous duo of volleyball players to come out of Minnesota.  They went to Stewartville High School before becoming Gophers and were on the Northern Lights 17s team along with Wilhite Parsons which won a national title in 2012.

 

Dana Rettke – Middle Blocker (Riverside, IL – Wisconsin)

Rettke may be the youngest athlete on the roster still having two more years left to play at Wisconsin.  Rettke played her club volleyball at 1st Alliance.

 

Simone Lee – Outside Hitter (Menomonee Falls, WI – Penn State)

Lee took the Wisconsin state tournament by storm her Senior year winning a state title in dazzling fashion before going on to Penn State to be part of a national championship team and All American.  Lee’s club roots go back to Milwaukee Sting and Fusion (IL).

 

Kelsey Robinson – Outside Hitter (Bartlett, IL – Nebraska)

Robinson can do it all from swinging on the pin or even playing as a libero.  The 2013 Big Ten Player of the Year played her club ball at Sports Performance.

 

Kadie Rolfzen – Outside Hitter (Papillion, Nebraska – Nebraska)

Rolfzen and her twin sister Amber, committed to Nebraska as 8th graders and was a four time All American at Nebraska.  Before becoming a Husker she was able to win a club national championship while playing at Nebraska Juniors.

 

 

 

For those of you scoring at home, that breaks down to:

 

Five Huskers

Five Minnesotians

Two Wisconsintonians

One Penn Station

 

 

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If you were trying to look for names from B1G country, I noticed a couple of names missing, namely Poulter and Rettke from the Prep Dig list. Then I went back and looked at the list of names on 30 player roster and found a bunch of other names from B1G teams. I don't know what Prep Dig is or what encompasses "Prep Dig States connections". But the full USA Womens volleyball list can be found in the article below:

 

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Volleyball/Features/2019/May/01/US-Women-Set-VNL-Prelim-Roster

 

 

Of the 30 players selected, this is the breakdown by current conference affiliations (yes, I know that Larson was in the Big 12, but I counted her with Nebraska and the B1G conference):

 

B1G:  20 of 30

Pac-12: 3 (None from Stanford)

Big 12: 2 (Both from Texas)

SEC: 1 (Alabama)

ACC: 0

AAC : 1 (Cincinnati)

West Coast: 2 (BYU and Pepperdine)

Big West: 1 (Hawaii)

 

You have to be stacked at setter when Hunter and Seliger-Swenson can't crack the preliminary team.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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