Inside this Wisconsin volleyball legend's transition to the United States Women's National Team
A chat with former Badgers middle blocker Dana Rettke about the ongoing Volleyball Nations League.
There was little break for Dana Rettke transitioning from her latest professional season in Turkey to representing her home country in international competition.
But it’s an acclimation the legendary University of Wisconsin middle blocker is quite used to over the last seven years.
Rettke’s set to debut in the 2026 Volleyball Nationals League for the United States Women’s National Team, which faces the Dominican Republic on Tuesday in Pasig City, Philippines. It’s been a dream come true for her to don the jersey, something she doesn’t take for granted even with this being her sixth VNL appearance. She won gold as a member of the American team in the 2019 tournament, and this’ll be her fifth consecutive time playing for the U.S. in this tournament dating back to 2022. This is all in addition to the silver medal she won during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Rettke’s learned and adjusted to the level of preparation it takes to flip this quick switch. Playing professionally overseas can be really challenging, but she said at some point that it does become comfortable. The flip side of returning stateside may make life more comfortable, but then there’s earning your spot on the U.S. Women’s National team.
The organization unveiled its 2026 VNL preliminary roster last month that includes 30 talented players, and its Week 2 roster had 15 who were expected to travel to the Philippines. So she’s playing in different environments with teammates she may not be as familiar with, who they themselves also may come from different systems and coaches.
“There is a level of an adjustment that I do have to be very mindful of, because it’s definitely not something where it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s just like we’re back in America. It’s normal,’” Rettke said last week. “It’s like, no, you got to be ready to compete and train at a high level and have really good communication skills with the coaches, with your teammates, because you don’t have that much time in America to be competing altogether.
“We’re really only training for three-and-a-half, four months out of the year. And then we all go to Europe or stay in the States to play on our pro teams, so time is so precious.”
