Julie Jo Vollertsen Melli (born March 1, 1959, in

Syracuse, Nebraska Syracuse is a city in Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,957 at the 2022 census. History Syracuse was laid out in 1869 when it was certain that the railroad would be extended to that point. The community was named after ...

) is an American former female professional

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player. Her main achievement is her part in the silver medal won by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

1984 Summer Olympic Games The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

. She later moved to Italy to play professionally, settling in

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia (; ), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until Unification of Italy, 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has about 172,51 ...

where she stayed after ending her playing career.

Career

Palmyra High School

The Nebraskan led the Palmyra High School volleyball team to their first appearance in the state tournament, earning Sunday Journal and Star All-State honors. Graduating in 1977, she was later inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame (in 1994).

Team USA

Straight out of high school, Vollertsen travelled to California to take part in a six-week tryout for the women's junior national volleyball team, she ended up being the only one to be kept on the team. She progressed up to the senior

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

, being chosen as an alternate for the

1980 Moscow Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

, but the US did not go due to the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was the largest boycott in Olympic history and one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summ ...

. Vollertsen was a part of a volleyball program that, since 1975, regrouped the national team players (of which she was the only one not from California or Texas) in

Coto de Caza, California Coto de Caza (Spanish for "Hunting Reserve") is a census-designated place (CDP) and guard-gated private community in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 14,710 at the 2020 census. The CDP is a suburban planned community ...

where they trained and lived together relentlessly under coach Arie Selinger. In effect, they constituted an organised team (though all amateurs, receiving only expenses) that played in as many tournaments worldwide as possible. Team US and Vollertsen won a bronze medal at the 1982 World Championship, losing to hosts

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

in three games. They added a silver medal at the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games, officially known as the IX Pan American Games () and commonly known as Caracas 1983, were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to inclu ...

. She served the winning point in the 1983

NORCECA Women's Volleyball Championship The NORCECA Women's Volleyball Championship is the official competition for senior women's national volleyball teams of North America, Central America and the Caribbean, organized by the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederati ...

title game against

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in which the US finished undefeated. The main goal of all these efforts was the

1984 Los Angeles Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

for which Team USA qualified as hosts. They started the competition with a 3–0 win against

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. The second game proved tougher, with opponents

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winning the first two sets. The United States then rallied to a 3–2 victory, with Vollertsen serving nine consecutive winning points in the fourth game after a 5-5. With the win, the team had already set the best ever Olympic record for the Women's National Volleyball Team, besting the solitary win obtained in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

. In the third group game against world champions

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, in which the already qualified teams were playing to avoid a semifinal matchup with

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, she had a crucial impact off the bench, scoring points off serves and spikes as the US earned a 3–1 upset. The semifinal against Peru was a rematch of the 1982 world championship, this time Team US were victors, with Vollertsen scoring two decisive serves to win the first game. Meeting China again in the final, Vollertsen and the US could not repeat their earlier victory and were beaten 3–0. Their silver medal was still a historic first medal for any national volleyball team (the Men's side would win a gold medal a few days later).

Reggio Emilia

Vollertsen moved to Italy after the tournament, joining professional side Nelsen Reggio Emilia in 1984. She played four years with the side, being eliminated from title contention on three occasions by perennial champions Teodora Pallavolo Ravenna . She did win a

CEV Cup The CEV Cup is the second tier official competition for men's Volleyball clubs of Europe. The competition takes place every year. Until 2000, it was the CEV Cup Winners' Cup. In 2000 it was renamed to CEV Top Teams Cup and in 2007 to CEV Cup. T ...

in 1986, adding an Italian cup later that same year. Vollertsen retired after the 1987–88 season.

Post playing career

After retiring as a player, she started a coaching career (with youth teams), which she ended in 1991, after the birth of her first child. Vollertsen was incorporated into the Emilia Romagna provincial

Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

in March 2009, as athlete representative on the board. She was elected vice-president later that year. In 2013, she was reappointed in the former role until 2016.

Honors and achievements

Individual

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

's 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Nebraska: #48 (selected: 1999) * Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame: 1994

International

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

: 1984 Los Angeles *

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

: 1982 Peru *

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

: 1983 Caracas * NORECA Championship: 1983 Indianapolis

Club

: 1986 * Italian Cup winner: 1986

Personal

Vollertsen met Italian journalist Leopoldo Melli in

when he interviewed her for a show. They would start dating soon after and were married in 1989. She later became an Italian citizen. They have two children together, professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player

Nicolò Melli Nicolò Melli (born 26 January 1991) is an Italian professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe S.K. (basketball), Fenerbahçe Beko of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Italian national ba ...

was born in 1991 and played for Reggio Emilia side

Pallacanestro Reggiana Pallacanestro Reggiana, also simply known as Reggiana or Reggio Emilia, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Unahotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as ...

, whilst Enrico, born in 1996, has also played basketball for that same team. As a family, they received the Premio Reverberi (Oscar del Basket) Champion award in 2014 for their contribution to sports.

References

External links

*
Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame

Volleybox.net Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vollertsen, Julie 1959 births Living people American volleyball coaches American women's volleyball players Naturalised citizens of Italy Olympic silver medalists for the United States in volleyball People from Syracuse, Nebraska Volleyball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics American expatriate volleyball players in Italy 20th-century American sportswomen Volleyball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in volleyball