APPLETON, Wis. — Lauren Carlini is a four-time All-American setter for the Wisconsin Badgers who is taking part in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Carlini helped the U.S. National volleyball team qualify for the Olympics in 2020 but she didn’t’ make the final roster.
Four years later, she’s helping lead the team in Paris, France. It marks her first time competing in the Olympics.
She said she found out via e-mail that she was going to the Olympics.
“That's all I could think was like, I did it,” said Carlini. “Just a tremendous amount of pride and happiness and just felt over the moon because it's been a long journey to get here.”
Carlini’s family is in Paris, too. They said that they wouldn’t miss seeing her compete. Going to the Olympics has been Carlini’s dream since childhood.
“I'm not only representing the USA, but I'm representing them and the people who have helped get me to where I am today,” said Carlini. “If it weren't for them, like, I simply would not be here.”
She’s played on professional teams in Italy, Turkey and Russia. Carlini said she plans on coming back to the place she considers home, Madison, to play for the new U.S.-based League One Volleyball team.
“My goal is to inspire the youth, young girls, either wanting to play volleyball or not,” said Carlini. “If it brings them that inspiration, that fire, that, ‘Hey, I want to be like that one day,’ then I did my job.”
Former Badger volleyball legend, Dana Rettke, is also playing with Carlini at the 2024 games. They represent the first pair of Badgers in the history of the school’s volleyball program, to play in the Olympics.
The team’s second match is on Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT.