Carolina Costagrande

Sport: Volleyball

Nation: Italy

DOB: October 15, 1980

Career Highlights: Born in Argentina, Costagrande became a naturalized Italian citizen in 2009 and won MVP honors at the World Cup in November, helping Italy take 10 of 11 matches to successfully defend its title. Costagrande finished second with 186 total points, including 167 spikes, at the World Cup and fourth with a success rate of 43.95 percent. Her best match came in a five-set marathon victory over Germany in which she scored 27 points as Italy clinched a spot in the Olympics. Costagrande’s rise has made Italy a more balanced squad, as she has teamed with Simona Gioli to form a potent front line. After playing four seasons with Club Trebolense in Argentina from 1995-98, Costagrande played for seven Italian squads from 1998-2010 before joining Dynamo Moscow for the 2010-11 season. She recently led Guangdong Evergrande to its first Chinese League title.

Olympic History: None