The U.S. Women's Volleyball team is looking to defend their gold medal title at the Paris Olympics and there is a good chance North Texas will be represented on that roster.of Coppell was on the gold medal team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but said she can't rest on knowing she's 'been there before.'
"We are all still working really hard," Ogbogu said."You just don't know. There is just so much talent on this team right now."At just 29 years old, Ogbogu is considered one of the veterans on the team. She has been a member of the national team since her first appearance with them in 2018. She has played professionally in Italy, Poland and Turkey. Before her professional career, she was a decorated student-athlete at the University of Texas at Austin.
Being a professional athlete is already an extremely difficult feat, but for O'Neal it has been an even harder road. She was born with a heart condition. She had open heart surgery when she was 13 and then again her freshman year at UT.
"I think having that balance all across the board allows you to show up in those spaces and be your whole self instead of feeling depleted," Ogbogu said."One person can't just take over and win the whole match, so we're really taught from a young age to always depend on and push the people around us and I think that's what makes the sport so fun," O'Neal said.