Meet the USA women’s volleyball players who have been part of this NCAA dynasty

Three former Nebraska volleyball players will be competing for the US Women’s National Team as they look to repeat their performance when they took gold in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Jordan Larson, Kelsey Robinson Cook and Justine Wong-Orantes begin their journey on July 28th, as the preliminary phase of competition begins in Paris.

The trio have been quite successful on the international volleyball circuit. In 2018, they were part of the US National Team that won the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League title. They were also part of the 2012 US Team that won its third straight Nations League title.

Now these three Nebraska alum will look to make an impact for the USA in 2024. Let’s look at their journey to this point.

Jordan Larson

Larson, who might be the best Husker athlete in history, is competing in her fourth straight Olympics. She’s hit the medals for the cycle, having taken bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, silver in London in 2012, and Gold in Tokyo in 2020.

She was a three-time All-American while playing for Nebraska from 2005-2008 and continues to be a Husker assistant coach. She is 6th in all time kills, third in career kills per set (Rally Scoring), finished as the career record holder in aces and 7th in solo blocks. She has so many collegiate accolades to her name you could write a book about her.

Larson was named Most Valuable Player and Best Outside Hitter at the Tokyo Games. She won a national title at Nebraska in 2006, and was a two-time defensive player of the year in the Big 12 — which shows her versatility as being way more than just an outside hitter.

She will bring her outside hitting to Paris in the hopes of taking another gold.

Kelsey Robinson Cook

Kelsey Robinson Cook won gold at Tokyo in 2020 and bronze in 2016. She heads to Paris as an outside hitter, and can also play libero.

She spent three years at Tennessee, then transferred to Nebraska for her senior season where she became an All-American and the Big Ten Player of the year in 2013.

Robinson-Cook has had an incredible club career, playing internationally in China, Puerto Rico, Italy, Japan, and in Omaha. She’s won Most Valuable Player and numerous Best Outside Hitter awards.

Justine Wong-Orantes

Wong-Orantes was a national champion at Nebraska, winning a title in 2015. She won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award that season and repeated in 2016. She finished her career at Nebraska as the all-time career digs lead with 1,890 digs.

Justine Wong-Orantes won gold in Tokyo. She’ll be back as the team’s libero heading to Paris.

Nebraska Has A Great Olympic Volleyball History

Nebraska volleyball has a rich history of representation on the Olympic volleyball team. Volleyball actually became an Olympic sport in 1964, for both men and women.

Beach volleyball was introduced for men and women as a demonstration sport in 1992, then officially added in 1996.

The following is a list of Nebraska players competing in volleyball the Olympics:

• Cathy Noth (alternate) - 1988
• Lori Endicott - 1992, 1996
• Allison Weston - 2000
• Nancy Metcalf - 2004
• Kayla Banwarth - 2016
• Sarah Pavan - 2016 & 2021 Beach Volleyball

Olympic Games Paris 2024 Women’s Indoor Volleyball Schedule

Paris, France (South Paris Arena)

• July 28-Aug. 4: Preliminary Phase
• Aug. 6: Quarterfinals
• Aug. 8: Semifinals
• Aug. 10: Bronze Medal Match
• Aug. 11: Gold Medal Match