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100 days of Kansas City-area Olympians: Lori Endicott, volleyball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lori Endicott was born in 1967 in Kansas City, Missouri, but she became a prep volleyball and basketball star in the early 1980s at Willard High School in southwest Missouri.

She later attended the University of Nebraska, helping the Cornhuskers win four straight Big Eight titles from 1985-88.

Endicott helped Nebraska to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championships 1986 and was selected as the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1987 and 1988.

She also earned All-America honors and finished her career as the single-season and career leaders in assists.

After her college career, Endicott joined the U.S. national team, establishing herself as one of the top setters in the world.

Endicott was chosen as the top setter at the 1990 World Challenge Cup, the 1991 NORCECA Zone Championship and twice at the FIVB Super Four (1990, 1992).

During the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Endicott helped lead the U.S. to a bronze medal and again was chosen as the tourney’s top setter.

The U.S. lost to eventual gold-medal winner Cuba in five sets during the semifinals before sweeping Brazil in three sets to claim a medal.

In 1995, the U.S. went on to win gold medals at the World Grand Prix and the Canada Cup as well as a silver-medal finish in the Pan American Games.

Endicott played for the U.S. team in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, which qualified for the quarterfinals but again lost to Cuba and wound up seventh overall.

Endicott, who married name is Lori Endicott-Vandersnick, was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

She helped Willard win a Missouri state championship in 1981.

The Kansas City region has a deep, rich history with respect to the Olympic Games. As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games approach with the Opening Ceremony scheduled for July 23, we will profile an athlete with ties to Kansas City, Missouri or Kansas each day.

41 Action News and KSHB.com is your home of the Tokyo Olympics. Follow our coverage at kshb.com/sports/olympics and check out our complete list of 100 Kansas City-area Olympians as it is revealed.