St. Francis alum Kelsey Robinson-Cook, in third Olympics, embracing role with ‘gritty’ U.S. volleyball team

PARIS – Taking the court for the first time July 31 in one of the most pivotal points of the U.S. women’s volleyball match against reigning world champion Serbia, Kelsey Robinson-Cook had every reason to be nervous.

Instead, she felt calm and focused as she methodically set up teammate Kathryn Plummer for a set-clinching smash to give the Americans a lopsided 2-0 set lead. The 32-year-old Bartlett native and St. Francis graduate has been a key contributor through two games off the bench in a stacked group stage, making the absolute most of her playing time as a reliable veteran presence in coach Karch Kiraly’s lineup.

“That’s been my role for a very long time here; it’s very much my bread and butter,” Robinson-Cook said in an interview after the match. “My job when I go in there is to take pressure off the other girls. When I go in and take a huge responsibility in the backcourt, it lightens the load on them.”

Robinson-Cook played 36 of 203 total points in the thrilling five-set victory over Serbia, which the U.S. won by the smallest possible margin in the final set. She played 30 of 204 points in the Americans’ first match July 29, a similarly thrilling five-set loss to 2016 Olympic champion China. She scored or assisted on three points against Serbia after tallying three points and eight assists against China.

The Bartlett native’s impact goes far beyond the box score on offense. Robinson-Cook had several impressive digs of serves and kill attempts against some of the best players in the world including Tijana Boskovic and Aleksandra Uzelac of Serbia and Yingying Li of China. When she’s not in the game, Robinson-Cook is front-and-center, shouting in support from the sidelines and serving as a glorified coach to her younger teammates.

“She’s been huge for us in everything she brings to the team,” Kiraly said. “She gave us some huge passes today and is a big part of why we ultimately won.”

Plummer described Robinson-Cook as both a steady presence and an “encyclopedia,” someone who’s among the world’s most experienced and knowledgeable volleyball players among active Olympians.

“On the bench I see the game, I’m invested and giving feedback to the girls who are starting,” Robinson-Cook said. “So I’m staying warm and I just go in with this mentality that there’s going to be no drop-off when I get in. And I think that’s felt within the team, too, that when I’m out there, I want to lift them up.”

The U.S. women clinched a berth in the quarterfinals with their three-set win over France on Aug. 4 in their quest for a second straight Olympic gold medal. Robinson-Cook and her teammates said this year’s Olympic tournament is the most stacked lineup of talented teams in recent memory with 10 countries having a legitimate shot at the gold medal.

Does success in Paris mean only winning gold again? Robinson-Cook said she feels no pressure. She hopes that mindset ultimately will lead her and her teammates back to the promised land.

“Every tournament we step out on the court the roster looks different and the starting lineup looks different,” she said. “Our job isn’t to worry about defending gold but rather defining what this team is and deciding what we can be.”