Kerri Walsh

Professional beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. She defended that medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Walsh and her partner, Misty May-Treanor, defeated the Chinese team in the final match to become the first beach volleyball team to win back-to-back gold medals in the Olympics.¹

Walsh and May-Treanor had won a record 112 consecutive matches, until they were defeated by Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh on August 31, 2008.²

Fast Facts

1. Born: August 15, 1978¹
2. Birthplace: Santa Clara, California¹
3. Resides: Hermosa Beach, California¹
4. Height: 6'2"¹
5. Weight: 155 lbs¹
6. College: Stanford University³
7. Married Casey Jennings in 2005⁴
8. 2004 and 2008 Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball¹

Volleyball Career

Prior to playing professionally, Walsh played volleyball at Stanford University. She earned several awards at Stanford including the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Mountain Regional Most Valuable Player in 1997 and the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1998.³ Walsh was selected for her first Olympic appearance in 2000, when she played with the women's indoor volleyball team at the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. She joined the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) in 2001 and won the FIVB Tour Championship in 2002 with partner Misty May-Treanor. Walsh joined the Association of Volleyball Professionals in 2003 and was named the league MVP in 2003 and 2004. The team of May-Treanor and Walsh was selected as the AVP Team of the Year from 2003 through 2007. They teamed up to represent the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, taking home the gold medal for beach volleyball. Walsh has also earned many individual awards including the AVP Best Offensive Player, FIVB Best Blocker, Best Hitter, and Top Sportsperson.⁴

Career Highlights

• 1996: National Freshman of the Year³
• 1997: NCAA Mountain Regional Most Valuable Player³
• 1998: Pac-10 Player of the Year³
• 2002: FIVB Tour Champion⁴
• 2003: AVP Best Offensive Player, MVP⁴
• 2003: AVP Team of the Year⁴
• 2004: AVP MVP⁴
• 2004: AVP Team of the Year⁴
• 2004: Olympic gold medal and MVP - beach volleyball¹
• 2005: FIVB Best Blocker, Best Hitter, Top Sportsperson⁴
• 2005: AVP Team of the Year⁴
• 2006: FIVB Best Blocker, Best Hitter, Top Sportsperson⁴
• 2006: AVP Crocs Cup Champion, AVP Team of the Year⁴
• 2007: FIVB Best Blocker, Best Hitter, Best Offensive Player, Most Outstanding Player, Top Sportsperson⁴
• 2007: Crocs Cup Champion, AVP AVP Team of the Year⁴
• 2008: Summer Olympics - gold medal⁵

Timeline

• 2000: Summer Olympics - indoor volleyball¹
• 2001-present: FIVB⁴
• 2003-present: AVP Beach Tour⁴
• 2004: Summer Olympics - beach volleyball¹
• 2005: Married Casey Jennings⁴
• 2008: Summer Olympics - beach volleyball¹

Related Pages on Mahalo

Misty May-Treanor | Summer Olympics 2008 | Volleyball | Olympic Volleyball | US Olympic Volleyball 2008 | Rachel Wacholder | Maria Sharapova | Anna Kournikova | Serena Williams | Michelle Wie | Natalie Gulbis | Casey Jennings

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