Edina's Jordan Thompson makes her second Olympic women's volleyball roster
MINNEAPOLIS — Edina's Jordan Thompson has been named to the U.S. Women's Volleyball Olympic roster as the team looks to defend its gold medal in Paris.
It'll be her second time at the Olympics; she was part of the squad that made it to the top of the podium for the first time in history.
Thompson will likely be the starting opposite this round as well, considering she started against Poland, Turkey and Canada during the second week of the Volleyball Nations League, where U.S. head coach Karch Kiraly has been testing out lineups to help crystalize the 12-person Olympic roster. During a tough 5-set loss against Turkey, Thompson led the team with 13 kills.
The 6-foot-4 Edina native played for Northern Lights, a Burnsville club that has produced a slew of national team members over the years. She committed to the University of Cincinnati where she was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year three times, and became the sixth player in NCAA history to record 50 kills in a single match. She spent two summers with the collegiate national team before making her VNL debut in 2019, and has been a national team member ever since.
During the Tokyo Olympics, Thompson was one of the best scorers during pool play but rolled her ankle during a game against the Russian Olympic Committee, which took her out of the starting lineup for the rest of the tournament. Annie Drews, who also made this round's Olympic roster, stepped in and helped lead the team to a gold medal.
The U.S. team is currently ranked second in the world, though the rankings will likely shift with the outcome of the VNL. So far the U.S. has lost to the main powerhouses — Brazil, China, Turkey and Poland — but have the ability to rake in some wins next week in Fukuoka, Japan to qualify for the finals. After the VNL, team focus shifts entirely to the games in Paris.
Olympic women's indoor volleyball events run from July 27 to August 11 in South Paris Arena 1.
After the Olympics, Thompson will play for LOVB Houston in the fall.
