OLYMPICS - VOLLEYBALL
Who is on the USA volleyball and beach volleyball team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics?
The games are approaching, and the team's rosters are filling up with the athletes selected to compete this summer.
Last Olympics game, in Rio 2016, the USA took home the bronze medal in both men's and women's volleyball. In addition, they also took the bronze in women's beach volleyball but failed to see the podium for the men's beach volleyball portion of the games.
For the Tokyo Games, the USA team will try to better their luck and win the gold in all categories for volleyball. The Americans have won three gold medals and two bronze medals in indoor men's volleyball, three gold medals, and one silver medal in men's beach volleyball, while the women have won three silver medals and two bronze in the women's indoor volleyball, and three gold medals, one silver and two bronze in the beach volleyball competition portion of the games.
Indoor volleyball Olympic rosters
The men's indoor team: Matt Anderson, Micah Christenson, TJ DeFalco, Kyle Ensing, Max Holt Olympic, Thomas Jaeschke Olympic, Garrett Muagututia, Taylor Sander, Erik Shoji, Kawika Shoji, David Smith, and Mitch Stahl.
The men Men's indoor volleyball team will feature eight returning players from the twelve who will go to Tokyo. Head coach John Speraw has been with the program since 2013.
The women's indoor team: Micha Hancock, Jordyn Poulter, Justine Wong Orantes, Jordan Larson, Annie Drews, Jordan Thompson, Michelle Bartsch-Hackley, Kim Hill, Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson, Haleigh Washington, Kelsey Robinson, and Chiaka Ogbogu
The women's team will have four Olympic veterans and eight new players. Jordan Larson and Foluke Akinradewo Gunderson will be competing at their third Olympic games. Both won silver in London in 2012 and bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Beach volleyball Olympic roster
The women's volleyball beach teams: Alix Klineman and April Ross, Kelly Claes, and Sarah Sponcil.
Since 2018, Klineman and Ross are ranked No. 2 globally and enter Tokyo as one of the top medal contenders. Ross has had previous Olympic experience and has been named beach player of the year eight times. Ranked sixth in the world, Claes and Sponcil being the youngest out of the four teams.
The men's volleyball beach teams: Taylor Crabb and Jake Gibb and Phil Dalhausser, and Nick Lucena
An experienced team, with Gibbs being the oldest male beach player in the history of the games at 45 years of age. While his partner Crabb is the youngest of the four men at 29. Phil Dalhausser is a veteran player who has been at the Olympics before and won gold at the Beijing games.