Naperville-born, Jordyn Poulter, and Aurora native, Lauren Carlini, have been setting up a special summer at the 2024 Paris Olympics with the U.S. Women’s Volleyball team.
Both are setters and both have overcome injuries throughout their Olympic journey. After helping Team USA edge past Brazil in five sets (25-23, 18-25, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11) in the semifinals on Thursday, the two are one win away from a gold medal.
Jordyn Poulter’s second Olympics for Team USA
It would be Poulter’s second gold after she helped the U.S. win its first-ever gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games (played in 2021), where she was named the Best Setter at the games.
Born in Naperville, Poulter grew up in Colorado before moving back to the state to play volleyball at the University of Illinois. She’s been a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team since 2018.
In December 2022, Poulter tore her ACL, MCL, PCL, and meniscus, while playing for her club team in Italy. About 19 months after the injury, Poulter has been a captain and has played every match at the Paris Olympics while wearing a knee brace. She recorded two blocks and two aces during the quarterfinal game against Poland.
Lauren Carlini competes in her first Olympics after just missing in 2020
For Carlini, the taste of gold would be ever-so-sweet, after she was the last person cut for the 2020 Olympic team. She continued to pursue her dream and earned a spot on the 2024 squad. However, a back injury in the opening match put her Olympic journey at risk.
Carlini only appeared in the first two sets of the opening match against China, which the U.S. lost in five sets. The West Aurora High School product suffered a back injury, which kept her sidelined for the next two matches. Team USA won those final two group games, beating Serbia in five sets and France in three.
Carlini’s return for the quarterfinal against Poland was massive, as it provided the U.S. with a lot of depth at the setter position. Team USA took care of Poland in straight sets, which aligned them with Brazil in the semifinals. Three of the last four gold medals have gone to Brazil (2008, 2012) or the U.S. (2020).
U.S. and Brazil face off in a thrilling semifinal and rematch of 2020 Gold medal game
The semifinal between the U.S. and Brazil was a rematch of the 2020 gold medal game, and it lived up to its billing. The U.S. started strong, claiming the first set 25-23 with clutch plays from Kathryn Plummer and a key assist from Carlini.
Brazil responded in the second set, flipping the momentum with relentless defense and a sharp increase in hitting efficiency, evening the match with a 25-18 win. Brazil’s hitting percentage improved from .081 in set one to .405 in set two and out-blocked the U.S. 10-6 over the first two sets.
In the third set, Team USA regained control, dominating at the net and cruising to a 25-15 victory. The fourth set was a tight battle, with Poulter delivering a crucial ace to keep the U.S. in contention down 23-24, but Brazil held on to force a decisive fifth set.
Poulter, Carlini, and Team USA Push Toward Gold
The final set was a nail-biter. Brazil took an early lead, but a spectacular 36-second rally, highlighted by Carlini’s defensive heroics, swung the momentum back to the U.S. The Americans surged ahead, reaching match point at 14-10. After a brief scare on the first match point, Plummer sealed the victory the second time with a powerful kill, sending the U.S. to the gold medal match.
Poulter and Carlini know what it takes to be a setter at the Olympic Games and have had resilient journeys to get there. They can make history this weekend as Team USA plays Türkiye or Italy in the gold medal match on Sunday at 6 a.m. C.T.
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