Dana Rettke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dana Rettke |
||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rettke in 2022
|
||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Full name | Dana Lynn Rettke | |||||||||||||
| Born | January 21, 1999 Riverside, Illinois, United States |
|||||||||||||
| Height | 204 cm (6 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | |||||||||||||
| College(s) | Wisconsin | |||||||||||||
| Volleyball information | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Middle blocker | |||||||||||||
| Current club |  Eczacıbaşı Dynavit |
|||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | |||||||||||||
| Career | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
Honours
|
||||||||||||||
Dana Lynn Rettke (born January 21, 1999) is an American professional volleyball player. She plays as a middle blocker for Eczacıbaşı Dynavit in Turkey's top volleyball league, the Sultanlar Ligi.
Before turning pro, Dana played college volleyball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She made history by becoming the first player to be named an AVCA First Team All-American five times in college. Dana was also a key member of the U.S. national team. She earned special honors in the Big Ten Conference every year she played. She was even named the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year twice!
Contents
Dana's Early Life
Dana Rettke grew up in Riverside, Illinois. She finished high school at Riverside Brookfield High School in 2017. Dana started playing basketball when she was very young, in first grade. She only began playing volleyball when she was in ninth grade.
Even though many college basketball teams wanted her, Dana chose to focus on volleyball. She felt it was the right path for her. In October 2014, when she was a sophomore, Dana decided to commit to the Wisconsin Badgers team. As a senior in high school, she was named Illinois Player of the Year. She also received several All-American awards, including first team honors from USA Today.
College Volleyball Career
In 2017, Dana started her college journey at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She decided to study business marketing. Dana played as a middle blocker for the Wisconsin Badgers. Standing at 203 centimeters (about 6 feet 8 inches), she was the tallest player on the team when she joined.
During her first year in 2017, Dana played in all 32 matches. She was a strong player, averaging 3.42 kills and 1.37 blocks per set. For her amazing performance, she was named to the All-Big Ten team. She also earned first-team AVCA All-American honors.
In 2018, Dana continued to shine. She started all 32 matches again. She averaged 3.74 kills and 1.54 blocks per set. For the second year in a row, Dana was selected for the All-Big Ten team and the AVCA All-American first team.
Her junior year in 2019 was also very successful. Dana played in 32 out of 34 matches, even though she missed two games due to a foot injury. She led her team with 3.75 kills per set, which was one of the best in the Big Ten. Dana helped her team reach the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. She earned her third straight All-Big Ten and first-team AVCA All-American honors. She was also named the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year for 2019–20.
On December 18, 2021, Dana helped the Badgers win their first-ever NCAA national championship. She was also chosen for the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team. In January 2022, Dana received the Honda Sports Award for volleyball. This award goes to the best female college volleyball player in the country. In June 2022, Dana won the Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year award for a second time. This made her the first Big Ten student-athlete to win this award in years that were not back-to-back.
Playing for Her Country
National Team
In 2018, Dana was part of the USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team. In May 2019, she was chosen to play for the United States women's national volleyball team. She competed in the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League in China. Dana helped the U.S. team win a gold medal in this important competition.
Later that year, in August, Dana played with Team USA in the 2019 FIVB Women's Volleyball Intercontinental Olympic Qualification Tournament. Her team played well and qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also played for the U.S. team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they won a silver medal!
Professional Clubs
After her amazing college career at Wisconsin, Dana decided to play professional volleyball. In 2022, she signed with an Italian club team called Vero Volley Milano. In May 2024, Dana signed with a new team, Eczacıbaşı Dynavit, which is a top club in Turkey.
