A congratulations to our very own Lauren Carlini & Dana Rettke on being named to the 2025 Women’s National Volleyball……
IN A PROUD MOMENT FOR AMERICAN VOLLEYBALL, TWO FAMILIAR NAMES HAVE ONCE AGAIN BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR EXCEPTIONAL TALENT AND DEDICATION. LAUREN CARLINI AND DANA RETTKE HAVE BEEN NAMED TO THE 2025 U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TEAM, A PRESTIGIOUS HONOR THAT CEMENTS THEIR STATUS AS TWO OF THE COUNTRY’S TOP VOLLEYBALL ATHLETES.
USA VOLLEYBALL ANNOUNCED THE ROSTER EARLY THIS WEEK, HIGHLIGHTING A GROUP OF EXPERIENCED STARS AND RISING TALENTS WHO WILL REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES IN UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS, INCLUDING THE 2025 FIVB VOLLEYBALL WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND OLYMPIC QUALIFYING TOURNAMENTS. CARLINI AND RETTKE, BOTH FORMER UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN STANDOUTS, HAVE BEEN REWARDED FOR THEIR CONSISTENCY, SKILL, AND LEADERSHIP ON AND OFF THE COURT.
CARLINI, A VETERAN SETTER WHO HAS LONG BEEN CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST INTELLIGENT PLAYMAKERS IN THE GAME, BRINGS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TO THE NATIONAL PROGRAM. KNOWN FOR HER QUICK DECISIONS, PRECISE BALL PLACEMENT, AND ABILITY TO LEAD HER TEAM UNDER PRESSURE, CARLINI’S RETURN TO THE NATIONAL TEAM IS A TESTAMENT TO HER PERSISTENCE AND IMPACTFUL PLAY. SHE HAS COMPETED FOR THE U.S. IN NUMEROUS INTERNATIONAL EVENTS AND PLAYED PROFESSIONALLY OVERSEAS IN SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST COMPETITIVE LEAGUES.
DANA RETTKE, A TOWERING MIDDLE BLOCKER WHO BURST ONTO THE SCENE WITH HER DOMINANT NET PRESENCE AND IMPRESSIVE ATHLETICISM, CONTINUES TO RISE IN THE WORLD OF ELITE VOLLEYBALL. AT 6-FOOT-8, RETTKE’S ABILITY TO SHUT DOWN OPPOSING ATTACKS AND CONTRIBUTE OFFENSIVELY MAKES HER A CRUCIAL ASSET TO THE NATIONAL TEAM. HER TIME WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SAW HER EARN NUMEROUS ACCOLADES, INCLUDING FIVE-TIME ALL-AMERICAN HONORS, AND SHE HAS SINCE PROGRESSED THROUGH THE NATIONAL TEAM SYSTEM WITH REMARKABLE SUCCESS.
THE RECOGNITION OF CARLINI AND RETTKE IS ALSO A REFLECTION OF THE STRENGTH OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN VOLLEYBALL PROGRAM, WHICH HAS BECOME A BREEDING GROUND FOR TOP-TIER TALENT. HEAD COACH KELLY SHEFFIELD EXPRESSED HIS PRIDE IN SEEING TWO OF HIS FORMER PLAYERS CONTINUE TO EXCEL AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, NOTING THEIR WORK ETHIC AND PASSION FOR THE GAME AS DIFFERENTIATING FACTORS.
FANS AND TEAMMATES ALIKE HAVE FLOODED SOCIAL MEDIA WITH MESSAGES OF CONGRATULATIONS, CELEBRATING THE DUO’S SELECTION AND ANTICIPATING THE IMPACT THEY WILL MAKE ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE IN 2025. WITH COMPETITIONS LOOMING AND THE OLYMPIC DREAM ON THE HORIZON, THE ADDITION OF CARLINI AND RETTKE ADDS BOTH SKILL AND STABILITY TO THE U.S. SQUAD.
AS TEAM USA PREPARES FOR A CRUCIAL YEAR AHEAD, THE PRESENCE OF EXPERIENCED LEADERS LIKE LAUREN CARLINI AND DANA RETTKE PROMISES TO BE A CORNERSTONE OF THEIR SUCCESS. THIS SELECTION IS A WELL-DESERVED HONOR — AND A BIG STEP TOWARD AN EXCITING 2025 SEASON.
