Former Wildcat becomes first player selected for Olympics in program history

列克星敦肯塔基州. – Avery 斯金纳, a Kentucky Volleyball and College of Health Sciences 女校友, was selected Wednesday evening to the 2024 United States Olympic volleyball team, USA Volleyball announced. She will become the first-ever Kentucky Volleyball player to compete in an Olympic games.

斯金纳, who played at Kentucky from 2017-2021, was a key part of Kentucky’s 2020 NCAA National Championship team and will now head overseas to Paris, 法国, to represent the United States for the 2024 summer Olympic Games. The native of Katy, Texas is one of 12 players who were identified as players for the Olympic roster Wednesday night.

There is one more spot left, with head coach Karch Kirlay scheduled to announce the alternate spot at a later date as the United States looks to win back-to-back gold medals in the Olympics. The roster includes eight players who won the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and four players who will make their Olympic debuts in Paris.

美国.S.  Women went into the 2024 season ranked No. 2在世界上. The team has competed in 12 Olympic Games, including the last 10. 美国.S. Women qualified for the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, which the United States boycotted.

斯金纳 graduated from UK in 2021 with a dual degree in interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education and Communication Sciences and Disorders. In 2021, just after winning the national championship, she sat down with us to discuss why she came to UK and the CSD program. 

"I love all of the CSD faculty members," she said. "They do so much for the students, and they really are there for office hours, extra office hours, advice on career, 未来职业生涯, really everything. They care so much about us students. And I've seen that a lot. And then, even just with the students in my classes, I've gotten to know them well."

美国.S. Women's Volleyball Team has won one Olympic gold medal (2020), three silver medals (1984, 2008 and 2012) and two bronze medals (1992 and 2016).

The women’s Olympic competition schedule and pools will be revealed at the conclusion of the 2024 Volleyball Nations League preliminary rounds, which ends on June 16. 美国.S. Women play their final preliminary round of the Volleyball Nations League next week in Fukuoka, 日本.

Indoor volleyball at the 2024 Olympic Games will take place at South Paris Arena 1 with all games broadcast live on the networks of NBC Universal.

U.S. Women’s Roster for the Olympic Games Paris 2024

2- Jordyn Poulter (S, 6-2, Aurora, Colo.,大学. 伊利诺斯州)

3- Avery 斯金纳 (OH, 6-1, Katy, Texas,大学. 肯塔基州)

4- Justine Wong-Orantes (L, 5-6, Cypress, Calif.,大学. 内布拉斯加州)

7- Lauren Carlini (S, 6-2, Aurora, Ill.,大学. 威斯康辛州)

10- Jordan Larson (OH, 6-2, Hooper, Neb.,大学. 内布拉斯加州)

11- Annie Drews (Opp, 6-4, Elkhart, Ind.普渡大学.)

12- Jordan Thompson (Opp, 6-4, Edina, Minn.,大学. 辛辛那提)

15- Haleigh Washington (MB, 6-3, Colorado Springs, Colo., Penn State Univ)

16- Dana Rettke (MB, 6-8, Riverside, Ill.,大学. 威斯康辛州)

22- Kathryn Plummer (OH, 6-6, Aliso Viejo, Calif., Stanford Univ)

23- Kelsey Robinson Cook (OH, 6-2, Bartlett, Ill.,大学. 内布拉斯加州)

24- Chiaka Ogbogu (MB, 6-2, Coppell, Texas,大学. 德州)

For the latest on UK Volleyball, follow the Wildcats on 推特 and Instagram at @KentuckyVB.

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