Ogonna Nnamani
Encyclopedia
Ogonna Nneka Nnamani is an American
indoor volleyball
player, currently playing professionally for VK Prostějov
in Prostějov, Czech Republic
.
Nnamani has played at two Olympic games
, in 2004
and 2008
. With the U.S. national team
, Nnamani earned the 2008 Olympic silver medal for indoor volleyball. She led Stanford University
to three NCAA championship matches
, winning the national title in 2001 and 2004. Nnamani has led her professional teams to national league titles in 2007 (Swiss Volleyball League) and 2010 (Czech Extraliga), and a runner-up finish in 2006 (Puerto Rico LVSF).
, and attended University High School
in Normal, Illinois
, where she also played basketball. During her time at University High School
she won back to back state championships in 1999 and 2000 under coach Charlene Lehnen. She has a younger sister Njideka who also played volleyball at Stanford University
. Both her and her sister played club volleyball in high school for Illini Elite VBC in Bloomington, Illinois
. Njideka is currently the Director of Track and Field Operations at the University of Oregon
. Nnamani also has two younger brothers, Nnaemeka and Ikechi. The youngest, Ikechi, is a track and field
standout who attended Rice University
for two years. In May 2011, Ikechi transferred to the University of Pennsylvania
and will compete for the Quakers
.
He won the 2009 Illinois High School Association
state championship in the high jump
. Her parents speak the Igbo language
.
Nnamani was considered the top high school recruit for her class, as she was recruited by major universities in 49 of the 50 U.S. States and won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award as a senior in high school.
She is closely related to senate president Ken Nnamani
of Nigeria
. Her father, Chika Nnamani, is former Assistant Vice President and Director of Housing at Illinois State University
.
Nnamani's family is originally from Nigeria, and moved to America before she was born, because of the better educational opportunities. Her last name translates to one who knows the land in the Igbo language.
In 2009 Nnamani signed a contract to play with VK Prostějov for her 2010 professional season. In the same year, she signed a contract extension with Nike
.
, and for her efforts was named on the NCAA Final Four all-tournament team as she had 19 kills against previously undefeated Long Beach State in the NCAA championship match. She was named the Pac-10, Volleyball Magazine, and AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year.
nominee for volleyball. She set a Stanford single-season kills record with 627. She had 27 kills while hitting .415 in NCAA Second Round win over Pacific She was named the tournament MVP at University Park Holiday Inn Classic.
winner, and a NCAA Top Eight Award as part of the Class of 2005. Nnamani led Stanford to an unexpected NCAA championship as Stanford was not favored to win as the NCAA tournament's overall 11th seed, but Nnamani set a NCAA tournament record for kills en route to a win over number 4 seed Minnesota in the final at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California
.
She graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology
.
in 2002 and went to the 2004
and the 2008 Olympics
.
In 2005, Nnamani garnered media attention for an interview with USA Today
where she remarked, "I know you can run a 100-yard dash by yourself or throw a really good pitch on your own. But in volleyball you rely on your team for every skill you perform." The quote was widely reproduced in newspapers when she was in contention for the Honda-Broderick Cup and later in September 2006 when the Italian media reported that she was being sought after by the A-1 teams.
Nnamani made her international professional debut under the Puerto Rican LVSF league for the Pinkin club of Corozal. Under Nnamani's leadership, the Pinkin team reached the finals of the national league for the first time since 1996, finishing second to the Carolina Gigantes.
After an abbreviated season in the Italian A-1 League, Nnamani signed on to Voléro Zürich
of Switzerland
for 2007. She joined fellow USA Olympian Robyn Ah Mow-Santos
on the team. She helped Voléro Zürich team win the Swiss Cup Final, the Championship League and placed fourth in the Indesit European Championship.
After contesting the World Cup in Japan, where the United States took a bronze medal and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nnamani returned to Italy and joined fellow USA Olympian Lindsey Berg
at Asystel Novara
. Novara finished with the bronze medal in the Indesit European Championship; highlights for Nnamani included hitting at a .710 percentage on 21 swings against her former team, Volero Zurich, in the playoffs. In January 2008, she was selected by popular vote to join the "All-Star" team for an exhibition game against the Italian National Team in Turin.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
, China
, Nnamani played in both outside positions. Her play included a 17 point performance in a win that eliminated Poland
on August 17, 2008. The United States finished with a silver medal after losing to World No. 1 Brazil
, the first time it had made the gold medal match since 1984.
For the 2008–09 professional season, Nnamani played with Galatasaray
, a Turkish
volleyball club known for its FC (football club) that has been successful in the UEFA tournaments. Nnamani, the top scorer of her team, led Galatasaray to one of the biggest upsets in league history when the eighth-seeded Galatasaray upset first seed VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta Istanbul in the quarterfinals. The 322 points she scored during the regular season placed her fourth among all players in the Turkish Professional League.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
indoor volleyball
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.The complete rules are extensive...
player, currently playing professionally for VK Prostějov
Modřanská Prostějov
Modřanská Prostějov is a Czech women's volleyball club based in Prostějov. The club competes in theCzech Extraliga and in the Women's CEV Champions League.-External links:**...
in Prostějov, Czech Republic
Prostejov
Prostějov is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. Today the city is known for its fashion industry and special military forces based there....
.
Nnamani has played at two Olympic games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, in 2004
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and 2008
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. With the U.S. national team
United States women's national volleyball team
The United States women's national volleyball team represents the United States of America in international volleyball competitions and friendly games, and is governed by USA Volleyball.-Current Squad:...
, Nnamani earned the 2008 Olympic silver medal for indoor volleyball. She led Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
to three NCAA championship matches
NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship
The NCAA has contested team championships in women's volleyball since 1981. The following is a list of the champions of each division with their record for the year in which they won the championship, and the runner up, city, site and other final four participants for division I...
, winning the national title in 2001 and 2004. Nnamani has led her professional teams to national league titles in 2007 (Swiss Volleyball League) and 2010 (Czech Extraliga), and a runner-up finish in 2006 (Puerto Rico LVSF).
High school and personal life
Nnamani was born in Bloomington, IllinoisBloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, and attended University High School
University High School (Normal)
University High School , located in Normal, Illinois, is one of two "laboratory schools" of the College of Education at Illinois State University designed for research and teacher-training; the other is Thomas Metcalf School, an elementary school...
in Normal, Illinois
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, where she also played basketball. During her time at University High School
University High School (Normal)
University High School , located in Normal, Illinois, is one of two "laboratory schools" of the College of Education at Illinois State University designed for research and teacher-training; the other is Thomas Metcalf School, an elementary school...
she won back to back state championships in 1999 and 2000 under coach Charlene Lehnen. She has a younger sister Njideka who also played volleyball at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Both her and her sister played club volleyball in high school for Illini Elite VBC in Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
. Njideka is currently the Director of Track and Field Operations at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. Nnamani also has two younger brothers, Nnaemeka and Ikechi. The youngest, Ikechi, is a track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
standout who attended Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
for two years. In May 2011, Ikechi transferred to the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and will compete for the Quakers
Penn Quakers
The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 27 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing.-Men's crew:-Football:...
.
He won the 2009 Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
state championship in the high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
. Her parents speak the Igbo language
Igbo language
Igbo , or Igbo proper, is a native language of the Igbo people, an ethnic group primarily located in southeastern Nigeria. There are approximately 20 million speakers that are mostly in Nigeria and are primarily of Igbo descent. Igbo is a national language of Nigeria. It is written in the Latin...
.
Nnamani was considered the top high school recruit for her class, as she was recruited by major universities in 49 of the 50 U.S. States and won the Gatorade National Player of the Year award as a senior in high school.
She is closely related to senate president Ken Nnamani
Ken Nnamani
Kenneth Ugwu Nnamani is a former Nigerian senator who represented the People's Democratic Party in Enugu State. He became a senator in 2003, and was president of the Senate of Nigeria from 2005 to 2007.-Background:...
of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Her father, Chika Nnamani, is former Assistant Vice President and Director of Housing at Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
.
Nnamani's family is originally from Nigeria, and moved to America before she was born, because of the better educational opportunities. Her last name translates to one who knows the land in the Igbo language.
In 2009 Nnamani signed a contract to play with VK Prostějov for her 2010 professional season. In the same year, she signed a contract extension with Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
.
2001 (freshman)
As a freshman at Stanford, she won a NCAA Women's Volleyball ChampionshipNCAA Women's Volleyball Championship
The NCAA has contested team championships in women's volleyball since 1981. The following is a list of the champions of each division with their record for the year in which they won the championship, and the runner up, city, site and other final four participants for division I...
, and for her efforts was named on the NCAA Final Four all-tournament team as she had 19 kills against previously undefeated Long Beach State in the NCAA championship match. She was named the Pac-10, Volleyball Magazine, and AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year.
2002 (sophomore)
As a sophomore she was named an AVCA second team all-American en route to helping Stanford to a NCAA runner-up finish, losing to Pac-10 rival USC in the final. She averaged 4.10 kills, 1.14 digs, 0.67 blocks and 4.59 points per game.2003 (junior)
Nnamani was named a First Team All-American as well as a Honda Sports AwardHonda Sports Award
The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States of America, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Award are automatically in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award, as...
nominee for volleyball. She set a Stanford single-season kills record with 627. She had 27 kills while hitting .415 in NCAA Second Round win over Pacific She was named the tournament MVP at University Park Holiday Inn Classic.
2004 (senior)
As a senior, Nnamani won an NCAA championship, was named the AVCA National co-Player of the Year, the Honda-Broderick CupHonda-Broderick Cup
The Honda-Broderick Cup is a sports award for college-level female athletes. The awards are voted on by a national panel of more than 1000 collegiate athletic directors. It was first presented by the late Thomas Broderick, owner of a sports apparel company, in 1977, with the first award going to...
winner, and a NCAA Top Eight Award as part of the Class of 2005. Nnamani led Stanford to an unexpected NCAA championship as Stanford was not favored to win as the NCAA tournament's overall 11th seed, but Nnamani set a NCAA tournament record for kills en route to a win over number 4 seed Minnesota in the final at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
She graduated from Stanford with a degree in human biology
Human biology
Human Biology is an interdisciplinary area of study that examines humans through the influences and interplay of many diverse fields such as genetics, evolution, physiology, epidemiology, ecology, nutrition, population genetics and sociocultural influences. It is closely related to...
.
International and Olympic career
Nnamani is a 6' 1" (186 cm) outside hitter. She joined the U.S. national teamUnited States women's national volleyball team
The United States women's national volleyball team represents the United States of America in international volleyball competitions and friendly games, and is governed by USA Volleyball.-Current Squad:...
in 2002 and went to the 2004
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and the 2008 Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
In 2005, Nnamani garnered media attention for an interview with USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
where she remarked, "I know you can run a 100-yard dash by yourself or throw a really good pitch on your own. But in volleyball you rely on your team for every skill you perform." The quote was widely reproduced in newspapers when she was in contention for the Honda-Broderick Cup and later in September 2006 when the Italian media reported that she was being sought after by the A-1 teams.
Nnamani made her international professional debut under the Puerto Rican LVSF league for the Pinkin club of Corozal. Under Nnamani's leadership, the Pinkin team reached the finals of the national league for the first time since 1996, finishing second to the Carolina Gigantes.
After an abbreviated season in the Italian A-1 League, Nnamani signed on to Voléro Zürich
Voléro Zürich
Voléro Zürich is a Swiss volleyball club which is playing their home matches at the Sportanlage Im Birch in Zürich. It plays in the Women's CEV Champions League....
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for 2007. She joined fellow USA Olympian Robyn Ah Mow-Santos
Robyn Ah Mow-Santos
Robyn Mokihana Ah Mow-Santos is an American indoor volleyball player. She is a setter on the USA national team and played at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2004 Athens Olympics, and also played at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, helping Team USA to a silver medal.-Personal life:Ah Mow was born in...
on the team. She helped Voléro Zürich team win the Swiss Cup Final, the Championship League and placed fourth in the Indesit European Championship.
After contesting the World Cup in Japan, where the United States took a bronze medal and qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nnamani returned to Italy and joined fellow USA Olympian Lindsey Berg
Lindsey Berg
Lindsey Napela Berg is a volleyball player from the United States.Berg was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was three-time All-Big Ten selection at the University of Minnesota, where she graduated in December 2001....
at Asystel Novara
Asystel Novara
Asystel Novara is an Italian volleyball club.The team participated in the Women's CEV Champions League 2007-08, finishing with the bronze medal. 8 of the 16 players in the 2007-2008 squad have represented various nations in the Olympic Games.-2010-11 squad:As of June 2010...
. Novara finished with the bronze medal in the Indesit European Championship; highlights for Nnamani included hitting at a .710 percentage on 21 swings against her former team, Volero Zurich, in the playoffs. In January 2008, she was selected by popular vote to join the "All-Star" team for an exhibition game against the Italian National Team in Turin.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Nnamani played in both outside positions. Her play included a 17 point performance in a win that eliminated Poland
Poland women's national volleyball team
The Poland women's national volleyball team is the national volleyball team from Poland, controlled by the Polski Związek Piłki Siatkowej , and represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches....
on August 17, 2008. The United States finished with a silver medal after losing to World No. 1 Brazil
Brazil women's national volleyball team
The Brazil women's national volleyball team is the national volleyball team of Brazil. It is administrated by the Confederação Brasileira de Voleibol and takes part in international volleyball competitions. It is ranked first in the FIVB World Rankings as of August 2009...
, the first time it had made the gold medal match since 1984.
For the 2008–09 professional season, Nnamani played with Galatasaray
Galatasaray
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club based in Istanbul, most notable for its football section, also known as Galatasaray S.K.. It also fields teams in Athletics, Basketball, Wheelchair basketball, Volleyball, Water polo, Swimming, Rowing, Sailing, Judo, Bridge, Equestrian, Handball,...
, a Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
volleyball club known for its FC (football club) that has been successful in the UEFA tournaments. Nnamani, the top scorer of her team, led Galatasaray to one of the biggest upsets in league history when the eighth-seeded Galatasaray upset first seed VakıfBank Güneş Sigorta Istanbul in the quarterfinals. The 322 points she scored during the regular season placed her fourth among all players in the Turkish Professional League.
Collegiate awards
- Four time AVCA All-American (2001, 2002: 2nd team; 2003, 2004: 1st team)
- Four time First Team All-Pac-10 (2001–04)
- Four time NCAA Pacific Region Team (2001–04)
- Three time NCAA final four all-tournament team (2001, 2002, 2004)
- 2004 – Honda-Broderick CupHonda-Broderick CupThe Honda-Broderick Cup is a sports award for college-level female athletes. The awards are voted on by a national panel of more than 1000 collegiate athletic directors. It was first presented by the late Thomas Broderick, owner of a sports apparel company, in 1977, with the first award going to...
winner - 2004 – Honda Sports AwardHonda Sports AwardThe Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States of America, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Award are automatically in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award, as...
volleyball winner - 2004 – NCAA Top Eight Award
- 2004 – NCAA Women's Volleyball ChampionshipNCAA Women's Volleyball ChampionshipThe NCAA has contested team championships in women's volleyball since 1981. The following is a list of the champions of each division with their record for the year in which they won the championship, and the runner up, city, site and other final four participants for division I...
Most Outstanding Player - 2004 – AVCA National co-Player of the Year
- 2003 – Third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American
- 2003 – Honda Sports Award volleyball nominee
- 2003 – Second-team Pac-10 All-Academic
- 2003 – CoSIDA First-team District VIII All-Academic selection
- 2003 – Pac-10 Player of the Week (11/10)
- 2003 – University Park Holiday Inn Classic MVP
- 2002 – Third-team Verizon Academic All-American honors
- 2002 – NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
- 2001 – NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team
- 2001 – ASICS/Volleyball Magazine National Freshman of the Year
- 2001 – Pac-10 Freshman of the Year
- 2001 – AVCA Pacific Region Freshman of the Year
- 2001 – Pac-10 First team All-Freshman