Former Wisconsin volleyball standout Mimi Colyer reunites with a familiar face at LOVB Madison
A chat with the All-American and Major League Volleyball champion as she returns to Madison
Mimi Colyer freaked out last year when first seeing Lauren Carlini in the University of Wisconsin volleyball locker room for a meeting.
Now the two will be reuniting not as player and assistant, but as teammates at the professional level.
It’s a story that Colyer, who came to Wisconsin last winter as a key transfer portal addition after three seasons at Oregon, has already told Carlini. Carlini’s résumé speaks for itself as one of the best setters and overall players in program history who earned multiple AVCA All-American honors between 2013-16. She found international success, which included a silver medal in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Carlini’s served as an offensive analyst and strategy consultant under coach Kelly Sheffield and eventually was elevated to an assistant last July. She’s juggled those responsibilities while also a part of League One Volleyball (LOVB) Madison, where she was designated as a Founding Athlete.
Knowing that Carlini was watching her play volleyball, as described by Colyer, was “insane.”
“I think the tail end of the season that I finally started getting comfortable around her,” Colyer said. “Was like, we talk. We’re girls, right? You’re my coach. We can talk.”
Now they’ll play together for LOVB Madison starting later this season, as the organization announced Monday that Colyer was joining the team.
