MADISON, Wis. – Junior Dana Rettke is off to Ruse, Bulgaria with the U.S. Women's National Team to compete in the opening week of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League as part of the 14-player roster. She is one of the youngest U.S. players to compete in a FIVB-level event and the youngest on the 2019 25-player roster.
 
Rettke joins Lauren Carlini as the only Wisconsin players to compete with the U.S. National Team in FIVB-level events. Carlini competed in the 2017 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup, winning a bronze medal.
 
Rettke, a 6-foot-8 middle blocker, was named to the U.S. National Team 25-player roster on May 13. A two-time first-team All-American, Rettke finished second in the nation and led the Big Ten Conference with a hitting percentage of .423. She also ranked sixth nationally and led the Big Ten with 1.54 blocks per set. The Riverside, Illinois, native also ranked seventh in the conference with 3.74 kills per set.
 
The U.S., which won the inaugural Volleyball Nations League last year, opens the tournament versus Belgium on Wednesday at 9 a.m. (CT). The U.S. faces long-time rival Japan on Thursday at 9 a.m. before concluding the opening week round robin on Friday against host Bulgaria at 12:30 p.m.
 
The VNL, a 16-country league for both genders, includes 15 pool play matches for each country spread over five consecutive weeks with four pods of four teams competing in round-robin action every week. The top five teams from the preliminary round will compete in the VNL Final Six along with host China from July 3-7 with the winner receiving $1 million.
 
U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly and his staff have chosen the following 14 players for the VNL opening week in Bulgaria:

• Setters (2): Micha Hancock, Jordyn Poulter
• Liberos (2): Megan Courtney, Mary Lake
• Middles (4): Chiaka Ogbogu, Dana Rettke, Hannah Tapp, Haleigh Washington
• Outsides (4): Mikaela Foecke, Madi Kingdon Rishel, Simone Lee, Sarah Wilhite Parsons
• Opposites (2): Annie Drews, Jordan Thompson