Haleigh Washington | |||||||||||||||
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Full name | Haleigh Meridian Washington | ||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
Born | Denver, Colorado | September 22, 1995||||||||||||||
Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||
Weight | 82 kg (181 lb) | ||||||||||||||
Spike | 307 cm (121 in) | ||||||||||||||
Block | 295 cm (116 in) | ||||||||||||||
College / University | Pennsylvania State University | ||||||||||||||
Volleyball information | |||||||||||||||
Position | Middle Blocker | ||||||||||||||
Current club | Savino Del Bene Scandicci | ||||||||||||||
Number | 22 (national team) | ||||||||||||||
Career | |||||||||||||||
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National team | |||||||||||||||
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Honours |
Haleigh Meridian Washington (born September 22, 1995) is an American volleyball player of the United States women's national volleyball team. Washington was an All-American middle blocker for the Penn State women's volleyball team, where she helped lead the team to the 2014 NCAA national championship. Washington won gold with the national team at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. [1]
Washington was born in Denver, Colorado to parents Danielle and Alecs. In her early athletic days, she showed talent in basketball, but ended up being more passionate about volleyball while on the seventh-grade team. She would attend Clear Creek High School, where she began being recruited by college volleyball coaches in her freshman year. [2] Her family relocated to Colorado Springs before her junior year, and she finished her high school career at Doherty High School, where she holds a state record after putting down 48 kills in a match with her high school team.
She earned consecutive Colorado Volleyball Player of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013 and led her team to a state championship title in 2012, and was the 2013 Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year. She was considered to be the nation's top high school recruit in her class, and ultimately decided to play collegiate volleyball at Penn State. [3]
Washington has one brother, Kayden, and one sister, Leilani. In 2020, Washington came out as bisexual. [4]
Washington was a three-time first-team All-American and helped lead the team to the 2014 NCAA National Title as a freshman, as well as an appearance in the 2017 Final Four in her senior season. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after hitting .463 for the season. [5] [6] In her senior season, she earned the 2017 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and led the nation with a .503 hitting percentage, while putting down 3.03 kills per set on the season. [7] She earned AVCA All-American honors three times and was selected as a Honda Sports Award nominee after her senior season. [8]
Washington credited Penn State's head coach Russ Rose for acclimating her to the grueling demands and expectations of competing on the international stage. [9]
Washington has played in multiple Italian Series A1 professional volleyball teams, including Igor Gorgonzola Novara from 2020 to 2022. [10] In the 2022–2023 season, plays with Savino Del Bene Scandicci. [11]
With Team USA, she started all three matches of the 2019 Tokyo Qualification Tournament in which Team USA earned its bid into the 2020 Olympic Games.
She was named to the 18-player roster of the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League. In her first match as the starting middle, had nine kills and a block against Brazil. [12]
On June 7, 2021, US National Team head coach Karch Kiraly announced she would be part of the 12-player Olympic roster for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. [13] Washington helped lead her team to the USA's first ever gold medal and was named Best Middle Blocker of the tournament. [14]
Logan Maile Lei Tom is an American former indoor volleyball and beach volleyball player, and is the current head coach of the Israel women's national volleyball team. She is a four-time Olympian at the outside hitter position. At age 19, Logan became the youngest woman ever to be selected for an American Olympic volleyball team when she competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She was a skilled all-around player who brought stability to the American serve receive and defense, while also providing the team with a solid attack and block at the net. She was a huge part of the national team from 2000 to 2012. At the 2008 Olympics, Tom helped Team USA win a silver medal and was named Best Scorer, she won another silver medal at the 2012 Olympics with the national team. She was also awarded the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 FIVB World Grand Prix.
Ogonna Nneka Nnamani is a physician, retired American indoor volleyball player, and former member of the United States National and Olympic teams. She was awarded the Honda-Broderick Cup in 2004 as the nation's top female athlete across all NCAA sports and is regarded as one of the best players in Stanford University's history with a career record of 2,450 kills, for which she entered the Stanford Hall of Fame in 2015.
Foluke Atinuke Gunderson is an indoor volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Japanese club Hisamitsu Springs. Born in Canada, she represents the United States internationally. Gunderson won gold with the national team at the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix, 2014 World Championship, the Rimini Volleyball Nations League, and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, silver at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Her 2020 Olympics win allowed her to complete the trifecta of winning an Olympic bronze, silver, and gold medal.
Russell David Rose is an American former volleyball coach who was the women's volleyball coach at Penn State University from 1979 to 2021. His lifetime head coaching record is 1330–229, which ranks first in NCAA Division I history. He has the most wins and highest winning percentage of any Penn State intercollegiate athletic coach in Penn State history.
The Penn State Nittany Lions women's volleyball program has had a long tradition, founded in 1976 by Tom Tait, long-time coach of the Penn State men's team, who coached the women's team from 1976 to 1979 and was named a USA Volleyball All-Time great coach in 2007.
Áurea Esther "Aury" Cruz Dalmau is an indoor and beach volleyball player from Puerto Rico who currently plays for the Orlando Valkyries of the Pro Volleyball Federation. She is best known for competing for the Puerto Rico national team at the 2008 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan, where she was named Best Server at the event.
Megan Hodge Easy is an American indoor volleyball player who won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics with the US team and played for Pennsylvania State University's volleyball team. Currently, she plays in Brazilian team Itambé-Minas.
Christa Deanne Harmotto Dietzen is an American former professional volleyball player who played as a middle blocker for the United States women's national volleyball team. She played college volleyball for the Penn State women's volleyball team, and won back to back national championships in 2007 and 2008. Harmotto won gold with the national team at the 2014 World Championship, silver at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, and bronze at the 2015 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Nicole Marie Fawcett is an American indoor volleyball player who won the 2014 World Championship and 2015 Pan American Games gold medal with the United States national team.
Alisha Rebecca Glass Childress is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a setter for the Vegas Thrill of the Pro Volleyball Federation. Glass played collegiate volleyball for Penn State, where she led Penn State to three NCAA consecutive championships. Glass won gold with the national team at the 2014 World Championship, and bronze at the 2015 World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Jordan Quinn Larson is an American professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for the United States women's national volleyball team. A four-time Olympian, Larson earned the USA its first-ever gold in women's volleyball at the 2020 Summer Olympics. She also has two silver medals from the 2012 and 2024 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal from the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Pallavolo Scandicci is an Italian professional women's volleyball club based in Scandicci that plays in the Serie A1, known also by its sponsored name Savino del Bene Scandicci.
Micha Danielle Hancock is an American indoor volleyball player for the United States women's national volleyball team. Hancock played setter for the Penn State women's volleyball team, and won back-to-back national championships in 2013 and 2014. Hancock won gold with the national team at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Megan Eileen Courtney-Lush is an American indoor professional volleyball player for the Columbus Fury of the Pro Volleyball Federation and the United States women's national volleyball team. Courtney played outside hitter for the Penn State women's volleyball team, and won back to back national championships in 2013 and 2014. With the USA national team, she played at the 2017 FIVB World Grand Prix. She was named the best libero at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League. Courtney was also selected as an alternate to the 2020 USA Olympic Team but did not travel to Tokyo.
Dana Lynn Rettke is an American professional volleyball player for Eczacıbaşı Dynavit in the Turkish Sultanlar Ligi. She played collegiate volleyball at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is the first five-time AVCA First Team All American in collegiate history. Rettke was also a member of the U.S. national team and has won All-Big Ten honors in each of her five college seasons, was the 2019–20 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year and the 2021-2022 winner of the Honda Sports Award for women's volleyball.
Kathryn Rose Plummer Boden is an American professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for the United States women's national volleyball team and the Turkish club Eczacıbaşı Dynavit.
Jordyn Ashley Poulter is an American volleyball player. As a member of the United States women's national volleyball team, she has earned several international titles, including the program's first-ever Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Poulter played collegiate volleyball with the University of Illinois Fighting Illini from 2015 to 2018.
Jordan Mackenzie Thompson is an American volleyball player for the United States women's national volleyball team and Turkish Women's Volleyball League team VakıfBank Istanbul. Thompson played collegiate volleyball with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats from 2015 to 2019. Thompson won gold with the national team at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Alexandra Annelise Frantti is an American professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for the United States women's national volleyball team and Turkish Women's Volleyball League club Vakıfbank Istanbul.
Kara Jane Bajema is an American professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for the United States women's national volleyball team and Turkish professional club VakıfBank S.K.