Riverside’s Dana Rettke staying ready while soaking in debut Olympic volleyball experience

PARIS — The debut Olympics for 25-year-old Riverside native Dana Rettke has been filled with firsts.

It’s her first time wearing the Stars and Stripes on the highest international stage and it’s her first time teaming up together with several of the women on her U.S. squad.

It’s also her first time watching as a glorified spectator as the last player on the bench. Rettke, a 2017 Riverside-Brookfield High School graduate who was a five-time All-American at the University of Wisconsin, has been a bona fide star in every stop in her volleyball career to this point. But instead of slamming home kill shots and making monster blocks as she’s grown accustomed to, the 6-foot-8 middle blocker is instead embracing her role as essentially a scout-team player at the Olympics.

“I think that just being a part of this whole experience for me is a huge win,” she said after Team USA beat Serbia on Wednesday in the second of three group stage games. “Of course I want to be out there on the floor, but I’m proud that our players are getting it done.”

Rettke is the only player of 12 on the U.S. women’s team not to see the floor through the team’s first two matches. She’s backing up world-class women at her position in Haleigh Washington and Chiaka Ogbogu, both of whom played on the U.S. team that won gold three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics. Though she’ll likely only play in the event of a teammate getting injured, the Riverside native is enjoying her Olympic experience far beyond the volleyball court.

At her Paris home in the Olympic Village, Rettke has crossed paths with international icons such as Rafael Nadal and Giannis Antetokounmpo. She’s taken pictures with U.S. tennis players Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz. A week ago, she also sailed through the Seine River for the Opening Ceremony alongside over 500 other Team USA athletes and flag-bearer LeBron James.

She’s enjoyed the presence of her father John and sister Leah, who also made the trek across the Atlantic Ocean. Rettke said her mother, Kathy, will arrive over the weekend and a group of close friends will also travel to France throughout the Olympics.

“It’s been even better and more exciting than I would have thought,” she said. “You go into the Olympic village dining hall and you see Rafa Nadal sitting there — it’s like where am I and what universe are we in? And of course having friends and family here is a huge support.”

U.S. women’s volleyball coach Karch Kiraly offered praise for Rettke’s ability to stay focused and engaged during her time in Paris, despite not knowing if or when she’ll see the court. The Olympics can present “sensory overload” with a seemingly endless numbers of fans and things away from the action that compete for athletes’ time and energy, Kiraly said. But Rettke, like her teammates, has remained “locked-in” on the team’s quest to repeat as gold medalists.

“Huge credit to her, she has stayed so present in a difficult role when you have so little hope of getting in,” Kiraly said. “But she’s ready for it. I believe she’s ready to jump into that role when we call her number.”