As Dana Rettke gets ready to represent the USA, she can't help but think of her Badger roots.
"There's a lot of pride that comes with that," USA Middle Blocker Dana Rettke said. "But I think it just also a lot of hard work paying off that comes with that too."
Rettke will suit up on Team USA along with fellow Wisconsin alum Lauren Carlini.
"She was kind of, the All-Star of the team, right?" Rettke said. "Like she was, Lauren Carlini, and so she's always been somebody that I've looked up to. Especially like as a Badger. I think she really exemplifies what it means to be a Badger volleyball player."
Rettke led UW to a first-ever NCAA national championship in 2021, something she says Carlini helped build.
VIDEO: Badgers Volleyball Dana Rettke proud of her UW roots with Team USA
"She played a part in that," Rettke said. "I know it's hard to say that when she doesn't have the actual ring. But yeah, I mean I think she was like, the program was not in a great spot before she came in. And I think she was one of those, she was probably the player that turned that around."
Rettke also credits Wisconsin coach Kelly Sheffield for making the national team.
"The standard that he holds for his players is not a low one," Rettke said. "The bar's up here. And if you're not there? He's gonna make sure you get there."
Now, the goal is simple: defend their gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Games, in a totally different Paris atmosphere.
"Tokyo was, there was nobody there," Rettke said. "Maybe there were some friends and family. But it wasn't really open to the public. And so I think a lot of us are kind of like, what is that going to look like? I'm expecting it to be crazy. I'm expecting it to be wild. I'm expecting it to be, you know, the most high-pressure. The most intense. Honestly, the most fun tournament that I've probably ever been a part of."
The gold medal win? The first in USA history. It's Rettke's first Olympic team. And she's been playing professionally in Italy since winning national player of the year in the NCAA during the Badgers title-winning run of 2021.
