With all the hubbub over the more highly publicized summer Olympic sports — from basketball to track to swimming — it can be easy to forget that Olympic medals carry the same weight of prestige and national pride no matter the event.

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Foluke Akinradewo ‘09 looks to make a late charge in Japan, in hopes of a spot on Team USA. #gallery http://daily.stanford.org/image/full/9349
Agustin Ramirez

Foluke Akinradewo ‘09 looks to make a late charge in Japan, in hopes of a spot on Team USA.

Another Cardinal powerhouse, the women’s volleyball program, will be looking to turn some heads in the direction of its sport at the Beijing Olympics, as five current and former Cardinal athletes are currently in the running to compete for the U.S. squad. Rising seniors Foluke Akinradewo and Cynthia Barboza, along with former Stanford stars Kristin Richards ‘07, Oganna Nnamani ‘05 and Logan Tom ‘07 have all been competing with the preliminary U.S. Olympic team in hopes of earning a trip to the Olympics this August and the chance to compete for a medal on the national stage.

In pursuit of roster spots for the Olympic squad, the Cardinal players have been competing with the rest of the U.S. national team in the FIVB World Grand Prix since late June. U.S. coaches planned to use the event as a talent evaluation tool to aid their shaping of the final national roster that will compete in Beijing. Sound performances from the current and former Cardinal stars could earn them the right to compete on the international scene.

The squad got off to an inauspicious start, dropping a 3-1 loss against Turkey, 28-26, 25-16, 21-25, 25-19. Barboza and Richards both put forth solid showings in the loss, however, as each chipped in a pair of kills, with Richards also recording an ace and Barboza notching a team-high three blocks.

After dropping their opener in the World Grand Prix, the U.S. rocketed back with seven straight victories, notching a sweep of Kazakhstan and a 3-2 win over host team Japan to kick off their winning streak. Barboza notched four kills late in the action as a substitute to help the U.S. down the Japanese team.

In the U.S.’s subsequent wins, Tom came alive to lead her teammates, with 17 points, 13 kills and three blocks against Thailand, nine kills and 13 kills against the Dominican Republic, two aces and a block against Poland. The U.S. won all three contests, with the wins over Poland and the Dominican Republic coming via 3-0 sweeps.

The wins qualified the U.S. for the final round of play, and the squad continued to dominate early, topping Poland and Turkey each a second time, both 3-1. Tom made her mark on the stat sheet again versus Turkey, notching seven kills, three blocks and an ace, while Akinradewo chipped in a pair of kills late in the decisive fourth set.

Italy, though, derailed the American winning streak, as the Italians triumphed in a sweep, 25-22, 25-21, and 25-16. Starting for the first time, though, was Akinradewo, who recorded a team leading nine kills along with one block and an ace. Tom added four kills to the U.S. effort, while Barboza and Richards chipped in two each.

The U.S. fell again on Tuesday in Yokohama, Japan, in its opening competition of the final round against Brazil. The Brazilian team won 25-19, 25-19, 25-23, as the Cardinal’s Tom put forth 11 kills in the losing effort for the U.S. Nnumani also saw some of her first action of the tournament, adding six kills off the bench, while Akinradewo added a kill and an ace to her tournament totals.

Rising seniors Akinradewo and Barboza are the only players remaining on the U.S. Olympic preliminary roster with college eligibility left. Next up for the U.S. is a match against host Japan today.