Dec 10, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers setter Lauren Carlini (1) sets the ball during the match with the Stanford Cardinals at the Wisconsin Field House in Madison. Stanford defeated Wisconsin 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Wisconsin Volleyball’s Lauren Carlini wins gold at the Pan American Cup

As Badger of Honor reported a week ago, Wisconsin Volleyball’s Lauren Carlini competed for Team USA at the Pan American Cup. The Americans stormed through the competition winning gold defeating rival Dominican Republic 3-1 in the final.

In the gold medal match, USA and the Dominican Republic split the opening two sets. The American closed out its rival with a 25-20 4th set triumph and 25-23 in the final set.

Team USA was perfect at the group stage jumping them into the semifinals where they swept aside Peru to reach the gold medal match.

Carlini added to her medal collection after having won bronze with Team USA at the 2016 Pan American Cup.

The USA won its 5th Pan American Cup championship, its 4th over the last six competitions. The 5th title breaks a tie with Cuba and the Dominican Republic for the most Pan American Cup gold medals in women’s volleyball.

Not a bad week for @laurencarlini as she brings home 🥇 with the US National Team! https://t.co/HnIEDPvTEj pic.twitter.com/ijbxNt0FqE — Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) June 27, 2017

Carlini wasn’t the only Wisconsin Volleyball athlete to engage in some summer travel. Tionna Williams participated in the 2017 Big Ten Foreign Volleyball Tour. Williams was the 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and garnered All Big Ten honors in 2016.

She wrote a fun little post on the Big Ten website noting her highlights from Austria, Slovenia, and Italy. Williams summed up the trip as “all gas, no brakes.”

Coming in, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this group of girls that I didn’t know two weeks prior. Competing against them for the past two years created a rivalry, but I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have wanted to experience Europe with anybody else. New friendships were created on this trip that will continue far into the future. It’s going to be fun and interesting seeing them across the net this season, but I can wait to catch up on life with each of them! So thank you B1G, all of our respective schools, and everybody who made this trip possible. But most importantly, thank you Europe for taking us in with open arms and sharing parts of your culture with us. Until next time.. B1Gurlz out.

If you didn’t get to travel to Europe this summer, you can check the Big Ten website for a complete rundown of pictures, videos, and news items.