Lauren Carlini

By Naperville Magazine
August 2024 View more Spotlight

By Jeff Banowetz

The West Aurora volleyball star makes her Olympic debut in Paris

While Lauren Carlini is familiar to locals who follow volleyball, she’s about to become known to a much wider audience—an Olympic one.

The 29-year-old was a standout setter/right-side hitter at West Aurora High School (class of 2013). In her senior year, she led the team to a 32–6 record and the 4A sectional semifinals. She was named Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year and went on to play at the University of Wisconsin. There, she would become a three-time first-team All-American and win the Sullivan Award in 2017, given to the best amateur athlete in any sport in the United States.

Since leaving Wisconsin in 2017, she’s played for the indoor national team and professionally in Europe. She barely missed being chosen for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo (she was an alternate), where the U.S. team took home the gold. This year, she’s one of 12 players on Team USA competing in Paris this month.

Tell us about your Olympic hopes.
It’s always been a dream of mine. I was maybe in sixth grade when I said it out loud. I was at a tournament, and we were sitting around a circle, and everyone was talking about their dreams and goals in volleyball. Kids talked about how their big dreams were to make the high school team or get a college scholarship. And I go, “I want to be an Olympian.” The coach of that team was Jen Flynn Oldenburg, now the head coach of Ohio State’s women’s volleyball team. Jen texted me when [this Olympiad’s] announcement was made, and she said, “I will never forget that moment when I was coaching you, and you said it out loud!” It was one of those moments highlighting the if-you-can-dream-it-you-can-do-it mentality.

You even had an Olympic flag hanging over your bed?
It’s still there at my dad’s house!

When did you start playing volleyball?
I was 5 or 6 years old. My mom played volleyball in college at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, and she, of course, got me into the sport. I would always just be in the gym with her when she played her Wednesday-night or Monday-night leagues at the Great Lake Center [in Aurora]. I was just a gym rat from day one and absolutely loved it.

What’s it like splitting your time between the national team and playing professionally overseas?
I have definitely loved living overseas in the sense that you get to meet a lot of different people, learn a bit of language in each of those countries, and experience new things. Most people have to pay to travel and experience those cultures, and we get paid to do that. So, in the grand scheme of things, that’s a pretty sweet deal. But as much as I’ve loved it, I’m really excited to be coming back home in the fall and getting the chance to play in the United States.

This fall you’ll be in the new professional women’s volleyball league—League One Volleyball?
I’m a founding athlete on the Madison team, and it’s just the perfect timing for me. After two Olympic cycles, I didn’t see myself going back [overseas]. But now I’ve been given the opportunity to play at home in front of amazing friends and family—it was too good of an offer to pass up. To be able to start something from the ground up with most of our national team girls is a pretty incredible opportunity.

Photo: Volleyball World (red jersey); USA Volleyball