Ogonna Nnamani
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ogonna Nnamani | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ogonna Nneka Nnamani | |
| Date of birth | July 29, 1983 | |
| Place of birth | Bloomington, Illinois | |
| Height | 6' 1" (186 cm) | |
| Playing position | Outside hitter | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Asystel Novara | |
| Senior clubs | ||
| Years | Club | |
| 2005-2006 2006-2007 2006-2007 2007-2008 |
Pinkin de Corozal Rebecchi Cariparma Piacenza Voléro Zürich Asystel Novara |
|
| National team | ||
| USA | ||
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  United States |
|||
| Women's Volleyball | |||
| World Championship | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Bronze | 2007 Japan | ||
| World Grand Prix | |||
| Bronze | 2004 Reggio Calabria | ||
| Pan American Games | |||
| Bronze | 2003 Santo Domingo | ||
Ogonna Nneka Nnamani (born July 29, 1983 in Normal, Illinois) is an American indoor volleyball player, currently playing for Asystel Novara.
She attended University High School in Normal, Illinois, has a younger sister Njideka Nnamani who played volleyball at Stanford University, a brother named Nnaemeka Nnamani who jumps track at Illinois State University, and another brother named Ikechi Nnamani.
As an outside hitter, she is renowned for the incredible height and power of her kills; teams commonly assign up to three players to block her. She was the youngest member of the 2004 Olympic Team and led Stanford University to her second NCAA championship in 2004, succeeding the legacy of Kerri Walsh and Logan Tom. One of the most decorated college athletes of her generation, she also graduated from Stanford with a degree in Human Biology. In 2005, Nnamani was awarded the Honda-Broderick Cup as the top collegiate female athlete in the country. She was also a recipient of the NCAA Top Eight Award as part of the Class of 2005.
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, which also counts Logan Tom among its alumni. 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. 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.
Nnamani is famous 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.
She is also closely related to senate president Ken Nnamani of Nigeria, and also former Enugu state governor Chimaroke Nnamani. Her father Chika Nnamani is good friends with former Abia State governor Orji Uzor Kalu .
