Justine Wong-Orantes Welcomes First Child
Justine Wong-Orantes has given the volleyball community another reason to celebrate, announcing the birth of her first child.
The Olympic libero shared the news on Instagram following the arrival of her son, writing, “He’s finally here!!!! We are overwhelmed with joy, love and definitely a lot of sleepless nights already but we could not be happier to be a family of 3.” Her son, Lucas Christopher Pham was born on March 27, 2026 at 11:05 a.m., weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 21 inches long.
The comment section quickly filled with congratulations from across the volleyball community.
Wong-Orantes added, “Thank you to all our family and friends for showering us with so much love over the last few days. This little boy feels the love too 🥰.”
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Wong-Orantes first announced her pregnancy during the 2025 Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball Championship season, sharing the caption, “Baby Pham coming March 2026,” alongside her husband, volleyball coach and former professional beach player Andrew St. Cloud Pham. The post drew an outpouring of support from teammates and fans as the couple prepared to welcome their first child.
On the court, Wong-Orantes was a steady presence during her debut AU Pro Volleyball season. She appeared in all 12 matches, hitting double figures in digs in five of them, including a season-high 14 in the finale against Team Cooper. She finished the year tied for third in positive receptions with a 0.60 percentage after recording 93 total, ranking second among players with more than five service receptions on the season.
Wong-Orantes has been a cornerstone of the U.S. Women’s National Team for nearly a decade. She helped lead Team USA to its first-ever Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 2021, earning Best Libero honors, and followed with a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Games. The former Nebraska standout, who guided the Cornhuskers to the 2015 NCAA title, remains one of the most respected defensive players in the sport.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
