USA Volleyball has announced the 12 players who will play for the U.S. Women's National Team at the Paris Olympics, and one of them is a familiar face from North Texas.
Coppell native Chiaka Ogbogu is one of eight athletes returning to the Olympics for the U.S. team. Ogbogu was part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but told NBC 5 before the roster was announced she can't rest easy, saying “I've been there before.”
“We're all still working really hard,” Ogbogu said. “You just never know. There's so much talent on this team right now.”
At just 29 years old, Ogbogu is considered one of the veterans on the team. She has been a member of the national team since her first appearance with the national team in 2018 and has played professionally in Italy, Poland and Turkey.
Prior to beginning her professional career, she was a standout student-athlete at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with the most blocks in the school's history.
Ogbogu joins Olympic veterans Jordan Larson, Kelsey Robinson-Cook, Jordan Palter, Justine Wong Orantes, Annie Drewes, Jordan Thompson and Haley Washington, while Lauren Carlini, Katherine Plummer, Avery Skinner and Dana Rettke will be making their Olympic debuts.
Team USA's roster and reserves are as follows:
U.S. Women's National Team Roster for the Paris 2024 Olympics
Number Name (Position, Height, Place of Birth, University, USAV Region)
2. Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, Aurora, Colorado, University of Illinois at Rocky Mountain College)
3. Avery Skinner (Ohio State, 6-1, Katy, Texas, University of Kentucky, Lone Star)
4 Justin Wong Orantes (L, 5-6, Cypress, Calif., University of Southern Nebraska)
7. Lauren Carlini (S, 6-2, Aurora, Illinois, University of Wisconsin-Great Lakes)
10 Jordan Larson (Ohio State, 6-2, Hooper, Nebraska, University of Nebraska-Great Plains)
11 Annie Drewes (opponent, 6-4, Elkhart, Indiana, Purdue University, Hoosier)
12 Jordan Thompson (Opponent, 6-4, Edina, Minnesota, University of Cincinnati, North Country)
15 Haley Washington (MB, 6-3, Colorado Springs, Colo., Penn State, Rocky Mountain College)
16 Dana Rettke (MB, 6-8, Riverside, Illinois, University of Wisconsin-Great Lakes)
22 Katherine Plummer (Ohio State, 6-6, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Stanford University, Southern California)
23 Kelsey Robinson-Cook (Ohio State, 6-2, Bartlett, Illinois, University of Nebraska Great Lakes)
24 Chiaka Ogbogu (MB, 6-2, Coppell, Texas, University of North Texas)
Alternative proposal
1. Micah Hancock (S, 5-11, Edmond, Oklahoma, Penn State, Oklahoma)
5. Ali Franti (Ohio State, 6-1; Spring Grove, Ill.; Penn State; Great Lakes University)
6 Morgan Hentz (L, 5-9, Lakeside Park, Kentucky, Stanford University, Pioneer)
14 Anna Stevenson Hall (Manitoba, 6-2, Lawrence, South Carolina, University of Louisville, Palmetto College)
29 Kalia Lanier (OH/Opp, 6-2, Scottsdale, AZ, University of Southern California, Arizona)
