A gold medal isn't the only thing on University of Cincinnati alumna Jordan Thompson's Tokyo to-do list.
The 6-foot-4, Team USA Women's Volleyball opposite wants to make sure nobody underestimates her alumna mater.
"A lot of people don’t always look at Cincinnati as a volleyball school necessarily," Thompson said on Tuesday. "I’m just really honored to be able to represent Cincinnati and prove that you don’t have to go to a Big Ten school to do great things in this sport."
Thompson will be the first ever former UC student-athlete to compete in an Olympic volleyball event. She will be one of three former UC female-athletes competing at the Tokyo games (Vanessa Giles, Canadian Women's Soccer and Annette Echikunwoke, Nigeria Track & Field Hammer Throw).
"It just goes to show the talent that comes out of Cincinnati, the staff that we have there and what we are capable of," Thompson said of her fellow Olympians. "I'm so excited for them and I can't wait to cheer them on...I hope that we get to cross paths because that would be very special."
As for any Olympian, Thompson's Olympic dream has been years in the making.
It all started on an outdoor volleyball court with her cousins. Thompson and her family would play all day in the sun until they went inside to watch the Olympics together.
"I would see players and say ‘I want to do that one day’ and of course I thought that probably wasn't going to happen but it’s a great dream to have," Thompson said.
As the years went on though, that dream became more tangible.
As a freshman in high school, Thompson made the varsity volleyball team. She remembers that milestone as the first time a coach saw her potential. It's also where she met her long-term mentor, who she remembers always brought a spark of energy to the court.
"I don’t even know if she remembers me anymore but I always just think of her and how she really helped give me confidence as a player and to believe in myself," Thompson said. "I think she was such a big cheerleader on our team and she always encouraged us, so that really stuck with me throughout my whole career.”
After graduating in 2015 from Edina High School in Edina, Minnesota, Thompson took her talent to the University of Cincinnati.
Thompson said she chose Cincinnati knowing she could have an immediate impact on the volleyball court. However, the deciding factor came when she visited campus and immediately felt a certain comfort that reminded her of home.
Volleyball head coach Molly Alvey reflected on the campus visit with Thompson and her mother, Mary. She remembered it as a nice visit, but one that left her unsure of Thompson's decision.
“I knew she had a good time but I couldn’t get a full read on her. I thought she enjoyed it and felt comfortable here," Alvey said. "Years later, she was like, ‘Coach, I knew I was coming (to the University of Cincinnati), I just wasn’t going to tell you right then and there. … I didn’t want to put all my cards out on the table.’”
Thompson took no time for granted with the Bearcats. In her five seasons, she racked up numerous UC and NCAA accolades. She set the single season record in kills and points at UC and the AAC in 2018, with her biggest year yet to come.
As a senior in 2019, Thompson led the Bearcats past No. 6 seed Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament to secure a spot in the Sweet 16. Thompson said the 2019 tournament run was her favorite UC memory, and one that still replays in her head when she thinks about it.
"I just remember that last point, setting Maria Mallon in back row and I was so nervous and I was thinking 'Please Maria, get the kill,' and she did, she got the kill," Thompson said of the teams' victory over Pitt. "I'll never forget that moment. It's burned into my mind in the best way possible."
Also in 2019, Thompson became a member of the U.S. Women's National Team. At the age of 21, Thompson was achieving the goals she hadn't expected she'd reach until 25 or 26.
"I think things became a little bit more real for me then," Thompson said. "It just means so much because it’s something I truly did not think was ever going to happen but to be at this point so early in my career, just still blows my mind."
Thompson is the second youngest player on the U.S. Women's Volleyball Olympic roster, being just a few months older than teammate Jordyn Poulter.
Now, the team is training Monday through Friday at an Olympic training center in California. Thompson said they will leave for Tokyo on July 17. Due to COVID-9 restrictions, Thompson's husband, former UC football player Blake Yager, and family will not go to Tokyo.
"I talk with my teammates all the time and I don’t think it has really hit any of us yet so we’re all just wondering what that feeling is going to be like when we step out onto the court and there are the Olympic rings and we’re in Tokyo and it starts to feel so real," Thompson said. "I’m just going to do my best to embrace the moment and now get too overstimulated really just take everything in.”
Thompson said she is most excited for the Opening Ceremony.
The U.S. Women's National Team will enter the Games ranked No. 1 in the world. They will begin play on July 25 against Argentina at 10:05 p.m. ET. Here are the other scheduled matches:
* July 26 vs. China (10:05 p.m. ET)
* July 29 vs. Turkey (8:45 a.m. ET)
* July 30 vs. Russia (10:05 p.m. ET)
* Aug. 1 vs. Italy (10:05 p.m. ET)
Those matches will be followed with the TBD quarterfinals, semifinals and medal matches running between August 3 - August 8.
Keith Jenkins contributed to this report.
Source link
