It's a Big Ten world, and we are just living in it.

Of the 12 players and one alternate on the USA Volleyball Paris Olympic roster, nine are former Big Ten standouts. That is about 70 percent of the team, with three Nebraska Cornhuskers, two Wisconsin Badgers, two Penn State Nittany Lions, one Fighting Illini, and one Purdue Boilermaker. It's even more impressive considering that powerhouses Texas and Stanford only have one representative each.

Regardless of watching in person or on television, seeing former athletes, teammates, and role models competing has been a massive motivator across the conference. Illinois head coach Chris Tamas and Wisconsin head coach Kelly Sheffield each had the opportunity to watch their former players compete in Paris.

"You've got so many players that are from the Big Ten that are there competing. It's no surprise to us that are in this conference because we're used to those environments," said Tamas, who was there to support former Ilinois setter Jordyn Poulter, "and in those arenas, it was 10,000, 11,000 plus each night, and it's much like we face in the Big Ten."

Kelly Sheffield coached two Olympic players during college, setter Lauren Carlini and middle blocker Dana Rettke, making an already world-class event more special for the Sheffield family. "The pride and the joy that is just around for everybody, it was just such a great vibe. I'm fired up for it to get to Los Angeles in four years. Hopefully, we'll have some players, but if not, I can guarantee you that me and my family will be there," Sheffield said.

Before the first serve in Paris, USA Volleyball was already eyeing the next generation of Big Ten talent to compete in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Plenty of Big Ten players and coaches had opportunities to play and coach with USA Volleyball at different levels this summer. Ramsey Gary, Indiana's sophomore libero, played with the U21 team in the NORCECA Women's U21 Continental Championship.

"It was really cool to train with [other Big Ten players]. I think half of the team was Big Ten. I competed with them all season right before we went there, so it was really cool to see them and just the competitive level of our team," Gary said.

Minnesota head coach Keegan Cook is a conference member with significant national team experience as a coach, most recently leading the U19 team that won gold at the Pan American Cup. "The Big Ten is leading in that space. The players that want to play at the highest level are finding themselves in the Big Ten within the USA program at all levels," he said.

At the highest level, Erin Virtue and Alfee Reft, the head coaches of Michigan and UCLA, respectively, are missing the beginning of their school's preseason to coach Team USA in Paris.

This year, USA Volleyball brought a group of All-Americans in an all-college squad to the NORCECA Pan American Cup Final Six in the Dominican Republic. Of the fourteen players, eight are playing in the Big Ten.

Karch Kiraly, the head coach of the US Women's National Team said, "We are treating NORCECA Final 6 as the first tournament of the new Olympic cycle that eventually leads to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles," in a USA Volleyball press release.

Wisconsin's Sarah Franklin and Penn State's Jess Mruzik contributed to the USA's silver medal in the tournament. Despite likely having long national team careers ahead of them, each graduate outside hitter spoke about remaining focused on accomplishing big things with their respective teams, applying the lessons learned with USA Volleyball this summer to try and win a conference and national championship.

"It's awesome to be on the same team for once with a lot of those girls. I learned a lot from them. I think they learned a lot from me, too, I hope," Mruzik said. Preparing to compete at the next level is also about building relationships learning from each other, and improving for NCAA volleyball and beyond.

"I think going to USA and being able to play with a whole bunch of other college athletes who are just as driven, just as high level, who want the same thing, I think is really an awesome experience," Franklin said.

For now, Franklin, Mruzik, and their teammates are enjoying watching high-level volleyball. They are using this time and these experiences to set goals and consider the legacies top players leave on their programs.

"Seeing Dana in the Olympic jersey is really inspiring to me because I've looked up to her ever since before I even committed to Wisconsin. She's a big reason why I came here, and to see her living out her dreams is just adding fuel to my fire," said middle blocker/right side Devyn Robinson, about watching her former teammate in Paris.

For Camryn Hannah, an outside/right side hitter at Penn State, it incentivizes her to work hard every day because, "That could be us one day. I think that's why we play volleyball, so little girls will look at us and think the same thing, so it's a cool chain of events to watch."

For Franklin, watching the Paris 2024 team and her experiences training with USA Volleyball make the volleyball summit tangible.

"To see people who have been in our jersey up there, it makes it very realistic for a lot of us to be able to look towards that once we finish our college careers," Franklin said.