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 will be her second time at the Olympic Games; she was part of the squad that reached the top of the podium for the first time in history.
Thompson will also likely be the starting opponent this round, as 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 lineups to help crystallize the 12-member Olympics. schedule. During a tough five-set loss to Turkey, Thompson led the team with 13 kills.
The 6-foot-1 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 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 member of the national team ever since.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Thompson was one of the top scorers during pool play, but rolled her ankle during a match against the Russian Olympic Committee, resulting in her being removed from the starting lineup for the remainder of the tournament. Annie Drews, who was also on this round’s Olympic roster, stepped in and helped lead the team to a gold medal.
The US team is currently ranked second in the world, although the rankings are likely to shift with the outcome of the VNL. So far, the US has lost to the major powers – Brazil, China, Turkey and Poland – but they have the opportunity to pick up some wins next week in Fukuoka, Japan, to qualify for the finals. After the VNL, the team focus shifts completely to the games in Paris.
The Olympic women’s indoor volleyball events will take place from July 27 to August 11 at Arena 1, South Paris.
After the Olympic Games, Thompson will play for LOVB Houston next fall.
