Karolyn Kirby

Last updated

Karolyn Kirby
Personal information
BornJune 30, 1961 (1961-06-30) (age 63)
Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
College / UniversityUtah State University
Volleyball information
PositionSetter / Outside hitter
Number8 (national team)
National team
1986Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Medal record
Women's beach volleyball
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1997 Los Angeles Beach
Goodwill Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1994 St. Petersburg Beach
Women's volleyball
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Goodwill Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1986 Moscow Indoor

Karolyn Kirby (born June 30, 1961) is an American female retired beach volleyball player. She won the bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships in Los Angeles, California, partnering with Nancy Reno. [1] The pair also won the 1992 Olympic tournament, at which time beach volleyball was a demonstration sport. [2]

Contents

In her career in beach volleyball, Kirby won 67 tournaments and $680,000 in prizes. [3] 29 of her tournament wins were with partner Liz Masakayan. [3]

Kirby won numerous awards as a beach volleyball player. She was WPVA Most Valuable Player in 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1994. [3] She was WPVA Best Offensive Player in 1990 and WPVA Best Hitter in 1992. [3] She was WPVA Best Setter in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997. [3]

In 2004, Kirby was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. [4]

College

Kirby was twice an AIAW volleyball All-American at Utah State University (USU), leading the Aggies to consecutive top 10 national finishes from 1979 to 1981. [5] Kirby helped USU to a combined record of 106–38 (.736) over the three years that she played for the school, including a second-place finish in the 1979 AIAW Nationals at 35–5. [5] Additionally, Kirby was twice an Intermountain All-Conference selection (1980–81). [5]

Kirby was inducted into the Utah State University Hall of Fame in 1995. [5]

National team

Kirby was briefly on the United States women's national volleyball team in 1986, and was a teammate of Masakayan. [6]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karch Kiraly</span> American volleyball player and coach

Charles Frederick "Karch" Kiraly is an American volleyball player, coach, and broadcast announcer. He was a central part of the U.S National Team that won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games. He went on to win the gold medal again at the 1996 Olympic Games, the first Olympic competition to feature beach volleyball. He is the only player to have won Olympic medals of any color in both the indoor and beach volleyball categories. He played college volleyball for the UCLA Bruins, where his teams won three national championships under head coach Al Scates. Kiraly is widely regarded as the greatest male volleyball player of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly McPeak</span> American beach volleyball player

Holly McPeak is an American retired indoor and beach volleyball player. McPeak was three-times an Olympian in beach volleyball. In the professional circuit, she garnered 72 career beach volleyball titles, with career earnings of US$1.4 million. She is ranked third in titles won and second in career earnings for female professional beach volleyball players. She won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics with partner Elaine Youngs. Though McPeak was considered short for a beach volleyball player at 5 feet 7 inches in height, she was one of the toughest players to beat on the tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Youngs</span> American beach volleyball player (born 1970)

Elaine Youngs is an American former professional volleyball player who competed both indoors and on the beach.

Christopher St. John "Sinjin" Smith is an American former professional beach volleyball player. He was the first player to win 100 career tournaments, and won numerous Manhattan Open titles with Karch Kiraly and Randy Stoklos as partners.

Kimberley Yvette "Kim" Oden is a former volleyball player and two-time Olympian who played on the United States women's national volleyball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloy Ball</span> American volleyball player

Lloy James Ball is an American former volleyball player, who was a member of American national team from 1993 to 2008. Ball is a four-time Olympian, and a gold medalist of Beijing 2008. He is also a gold medalist of the 2007 NORCECA Championship and 2008 World League, silver medalist of the 1995 Pan American Games, bronze medalist of the 1994 FIVB World Championship, and 2015 inductee to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.

Lori Ann Endicott is a retired female volleyball player from the United States. She played for the University of Nebraska and then for the United States national team, winning a bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Caren Marie Alexius Kemner is an American former volleyball player and three-time Olympian.

Tara Cross-Battle is a retired volleyball player from the United States who competed in four Summer Olympics overall, starting in 1992. Cross-Battle won the bronze medal with the United States women's national team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Her last Olympic appearance was at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

Nancy Reno is an American female retired beach volleyball player. She won the bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships in Los Angeles, partnering with Karolyn Kirby. The pair also won the tournament at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, at which time beach volleyball was a demonstration sport. Reno finished in fifth place at the inaugural beach volleyball competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, alongside Holly McPeak.

John Andrew Banachowski is an American volleyball coach. He was the head coach of the women's volleyball team at UCLA. He had more wins than any other Division I coach, with 1,106 total victories and an overall record since the 1970 season of 1,106-301 (.786), until his record was broken on September 6, 2013, by University of Hawaii head coach Dave Shoji. He did not coach the two seasons from 1968-1970 after his graduation from UCLA. Under his coaching, the UCLA team won six national championships. Banachowski was twice an All-American volleyball player at UCLA under Al Scates, and won USVBA national championships in 1965 and 1967 as a player. While at UCLA he joined Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity.

Debbie Green-Vargas is an American retired volleyball player and coach. She is regarded as the greatest American women's volleyball setter of all time. Green-Vargas was a member of the United States women's national volleyball team and won a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Mary Joan "Mary Jo" Peppler is an American former volleyball player and coach. Peppler was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1990. She also played professional basketball with the New Jersey Gems of the Women's Professional Basketball League for one season.

Liz Masakayan is a Filipino-American former indoor and beach volleyball player, and current coach. She participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics with the United States women's national volleyball team, and as a beach volleyball player won a total of 47 tournaments in her career.

Rita Louise Crockett is an American former volleyball player who played for the United States women's national volleyball team. Crockett was a silver medalist at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She also won a bronze medal at the 1982 FIVB World Championship in Peru and a silver medal at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tammy Leibl</span> American volleyball player

Tammy Leibl is a retired American female indoor volleyball and beach volleyball player. She played college volleyball at Arizona State University and won the bronze medal with the U.S. national team at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernanda Venturini</span> Brazilian volleyball player

Fernanda Porto Venturini is a Brazilian former volleyball player and a four-time Olympian. She competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, where she won the bronze medal with the Brazilian women's national volleyball team. She is regarded as one of the best setters of all time.

Cary Wendell is an American former volleyball player. She played for the United States women's national volleyball team, and helped the United States win the silver medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games in Saint Petersburg.

Angela Rock is a former Olympic volleyball player. She was born on October 15, 1963, in California. Angela was a collegiate athlete at San Diego State University and became an Olympic volleyball athlete in 1988. Along with the Olympics, she participated in the 1977 Pan American games, the Goodwill Games, the Women's Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA), and the Federation De International Volleyball tours. Angela won 27 beach volleyball events, and in 1991 she was named the Women's Professional Volleyball Associations top hitter. After her Olympic and professional volleyball career, she became a coach and an author.

Annette Cottle is a former volleyball player and coach. She played collegiately for BYU and Utah State.

References

  1. @barringer_a (April 4, 2019). "The 1997 World Championships". Beachmajors.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  2. "AVP 101: The Basics Of Beach Volleyball". Association of Volleyball Professionals . July 10, 2019. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Karolyn Kirby". Beach Volleyball Database . Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  4. "Karolyn Kirby". International Volleyball Hall of Fame . Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Karolyn Kirby". Utah State University Athletics. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  6. Smith, Shelley (July 5, 1993). "Liz Masakayan and Karolyn Kirby". Sports Illustrated . New York City: Time. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2023.


Sporting positions
Preceded by
Inaugural
Women's FIVB Beach World Tour Winner
alongside Flag of the United States.svg Nancy Reno

1992
Succeeded by
Flag of the United States.svg  Liz Masakayan
and Karolyn Kirby (USA)
Preceded by
Flag of the United States.svg  Nancy Reno
and Karolyn Kirby (USA)
Women's FIVB Beach World Tour Winner
alongside Flag of the United States.svg Liz Masakayan

1993
Succeeded by