Lloy Ball

Last updated

Lloy Ball
Lloy Ball (2008).jpg
Ball in 2008
Personal information
Full nameLloy James Ball
Born (1972-02-17) February 17, 1972 (age 52)
Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.
Hometown Woodburn, Indiana, U.S.
Height2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)
Weight95 kg (209 lb)
College / University IPFW
Volleyball information
PositionSetter
Number1
Career
YearsTeams
1991–1995
1996–1999
2000–2004
2004–2006
2006–2011
2011–2012		 Flag of the United States.svg Purdue Fort Wayne
Flag of Japan.svg Toray Arrows
Flag of Italy.svg Casa Modena
Flag of Greece.svg Iraklis Thessaloniki
Flag of Russia.svg Zenit Kazan
Flag of Russia.svg Ural Ufa
National team
1993–2008Flag of the United States.svg  United States (398)
Medal record
Men's volleyball
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic rings.svg
Olympic Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Beijing Team
World Championship
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1994 Greece Team
NORCECA Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2007 Anaheim
World League
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2008 Rio de Janeiro
Pan American Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1995 Mar del Plata Team

Lloy James Ball (born February 17, 1972) [1] 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. [2] 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. [3]

Contents

High school

Ball grew up in Woodburn, Indiana, where he attended Woodlan High School. Because Ball grew up in a state that did not sanction varsity competition in boys' volleyball, he only played competitively during the summer. He made his first breakthrough at age 15 by being selected for the 1987 Olympic Festival.

Ball also played basketball. As a Junior, Ball’s team lost in the Sectional finals to a stellar Bishop Dwenger Saint’s Basketball team. It was a crushing loss for Ball and was a huge factor in driving him towards his future success. This Dwenger team consisted of stars like TJ Steele, David Lion, John Sullivan, Tim Burns and Brian Finley. Ball was recruited by Bobby Knight to play the game at Indiana University.

College

Ball attended Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) [a] from 1991 to 1995, and played volleyball there for his father, Arnie Ball. In his freshman season, he was named Volleyball Magazine National Freshman of the Year as he recorded 1,421 assists to go along with 171 digs, 113 blocks, and 164 kills on the year. In his sophomore season, he was an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) second-team All-American, and also broke the school record for single season assists (2,047).

In his junior year, he was selected as a second-team All-American and was the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Player of the Year and recorded a career high 106 assists vs. Ball State. He ranked among the top 20 in the nation in hitting percentage and aces per game. In 1994, he was a first-team All-American and repeated as the MIVA Player of the Year. He led IPFW to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship semifinals, before suffering a broken hand prior to the match.

In 2007, Ball was inducted into the IPFW Athletics Hall of Fame alongside his father as part of the inaugural class. [4] Following the 2018 dissolution of IPFW and the transfer of its athletic program to the newly created Purdue University Fort Wayne, the institution is now known as the Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics Hall of Fame.

National team

International

Ball competed at the 1991 (silver) and 1993 World University Games. He was also on the national team that won the silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. Ball was selected for the USA national team in May 1994 after concluding a stellar collegiate career at IPFW.

Ball represented the U.S. men's volleyball team at the 2007 FIVB Men's World Cup, helping the team to finish fourth. At the 2008 FIVB World League, Ball led the U.S. men to its first ever World League title, by defeating Serbia in the final. Ball was named the "Best Setter" and Most Valuable Player of the tournament. [3]

Olympics

Ball made his Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where Team USA finished in ninth place tie with South Korea, after having claimed the bronze medal two years earlier at the World Championships. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Ball started but the USA had a disappointing tournament, not winning a match and finishing with an 11th place tie with Egypt.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Ball led Team USA to the semifinals, where they lost to eventual gold medalist Brazil. They earned their way to the bronze medal match, but were swept by Russia to come down to a fourth-place finish. Despite not getting a medal, it was the best Olympic finish for the men since they won the bronze medal in 1992.

With his selection to the 2008 Olympic squad, Ball became the first male volleyball player from the United States to compete in four Olympics. [5] After leading Team USA past Russia in five sets at the 2008 Beijing Olympics semifinals, Ball led Team USA to the gold medal by defeating the top-ranked Brazilians in four sets. During the tournament, the U.S. never lost a match, going undefeated at 8–0. [6]

Professional

With the professional club Iraklis Thessaloniki, he won two silver medals at the 2004–05 and 2005–06 CEV Champions League. In 2004–05 he was also awarded "Best Setter". [7] [3]

With the professional club VC Zenit Kazan he won a gold medal at the 2007–08 CEV Champions League and a third silver medal at the 2010–11 CEV Champions League, along with a second "Best Setter" award. [3]

In 2019, Ball was one of the founding members of a grass-roots professional level league in the United States called the Volleyball League of America (VLA). [8]

Personal life

When not on the court actively playing the game, Ball operates Team Pineapple, a volleyball clinic that also features his father, Arnie Ball. [9]

Ball currently resides in Angola, Indiana, with his wife, son, and daughter. In March 2023, Ball was arrested and subsequently sentenced to serve roughly six months in home detention for his third conviction on a misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated. [10]

Awards

Individual

Footnotes

  1. ↑ In 2018, the Indiana University and Purdue University systems dissolved IPFW. Each system established a new Fort Wayne campus at that time. The IPFW athletic program was transferred to the new Purdue University Fort Wayne, and now competes as the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons.

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.

Raúl Papaleo Pérez, more commonly known as Raúl Papaleo, is a former beach volleyball player from Puerto Rico. He won the bronze medal in the men's beach team competition at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, partnering with Ramón Hernández.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikola Grbić</span> Serbian volleyball player and coach

Nikola Grbić is a Serbian professional volleyball coach and former player who is currently serving as head coach for the Poland national team. Grbić is a gold medalist of the 2000 Summer Olympics, a bronze medalist of the 1996 Summer Olympics, and a multiple World Championship, European Championship, and World League medalist. He was inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey Berg</span> American volleyball player (born 1980)

Lindsey Napela Berg is an American retired volleyball player who last played for Fenerbahçe Istanbul in Turkey. She was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and played volleyball for the University of Minnesota. She played in three Olympic Games for the United States national team, winning two silver medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Metcalf</span> American indoor volleyball player (born 1978)

Nancy Jean Metcalf is an American indoor volleyball player. She represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where she finished in fifth place with the USA National Team. She missed the 2008 Olympics with a torn labrum, and was not named to the national team in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Áurea Cruz</span> Puerto Rican volleyball player

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Anderson (volleyball)</span> American volleyball player

Matthew John Anderson is an American professional volleyball player and member of the United States men's national volleyball team. He is a two-time Olympic medalist, having won bronze medals at the 2016 and 2024 Summer Olympics, and was part of the gold-winning teams at the 2014 World League and 2015 World Cup. With the Russian volleyball club Zenit Kazan, he has won numerous CEV Champions League titles.

Clayton Iona "Clay" Stanley is an American former volleyball player, who was a member of United States men's national volleyball team, a participant of the Olympic Games, Olympic Champion 2008, NORCECA Champion 2005, and multimedalist of the World League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lee (volleyball)</span> American volleyball player (born 1982)

David Cameron Lee is an American volleyball player, currently working as the head coach for Indian Club, Bengaluru Torpedoes. As a member of the United States men's national volleyball team, he is an Olympic Champion at the 2008 Summer Olympics, an Olympic bronze medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and a three-time Olympian. He is also a two-time NORCECA Champion, a gold medalist at the 2015 World Cup, and a gold medalist of the World League.

Kevin Christopher Hansen is an American volleyball player. He made his Olympic debut at the 2008 Summer Olympics with the U.S. national team.

Maciej "Matt" Zbyszewski is a male beach volleyball and volleyball player and coach from Canada who won the silver medal at the NORCECA Circuit 2009 at Puerto Vallarta playing with Josh Binstock.

Armond J. "Arnie" Ball is an American retired volleyball coach best known for his 35 seasons as head coach of the men's volleyball team at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), now known as the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. He ended his career in 2015 with a total of 570 wins as coach of the IPFW men, and also won 230 games as head coach of the IPFW women's team in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alisha Glass</span> American volleyball player (born 1988)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Larson</span> American volleyball player (born 1986)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carli Lloyd (volleyball)</span> American volleyball player (born 1989)

Carli Ellen Lloyd is an American professional volleyball player who played as a setter for the United States women's national volleyball team. She played college women's volleyball at the University of California, Berkeley. Lloyd won bronze with the national team at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimberly Hill</span> American volleyball player

Kimberly Hill is an American former professional volleyball player who played as an outside hitter for the United States women's national volleyball team. Hill won gold with the national team at the 2014 World Championship and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micah Christenson</span> American volleyball player (born 1993)

Micah Makanamaikalani Christenson is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a setter for Zenit Kazan and the U.S. national team. He was a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, Paris 2024 and the 2018 World Championship; the 2014 World League, 2015 World Cup and 2023 World Cup winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Shoji</span> American volleyball player (born 1989)

Erik Thomas Shoji is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a libero for ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle and the U.S. national team. Shoji was a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, Paris 2024 and the 2018 World Championship; the 2014 World League and 2015 World Cup winner, and a two–time Champions League winner with ZAKSA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxwell Holt</span> American volleyball player (born 1987)

Maxwell Philip Holt is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Beijing BAIC Motor of the Chinese league and the U.S. national team. Holt was a bronze medalist at the 2016 and 2024 Summer Olympics, and won gold medals in the 2014 World League, 2015 World Cup, and 2023 World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simone Giannelli</span> Italian volleyball player

Simone Giannelli is an Italian volleyball player, a member of the Italy men's national volleyball team and Italian club Sir Safety Perugia, silver medalist of the 2015 World Cup, bronze medalist of the 2015 European Championship, and gold medalist of the 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship and the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.

References

  1. ↑ "Lloy Ball". Volleyball Magazine. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Woodburn native Ball picked for 4th Games". The Journal Gazette . Archived from the original on March 16, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Lloy Ball". International Volleyball Hall of Fame . Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Hall of Fame". Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  5. ↑ "U.S. announces Olympic men's volleyball squad". NBC Universal . July 15, 2008. Archived from the original on August 25, 2008.
  6. ↑ Macur, Juliet (August 24, 2008). "U.S. Men Defeat Brazil to Grab Gold in Volleyball". The New York Times . Retrieved September 7, 2024.(subscription required)
  7. ↑ "Tours Stronger Than Host Team". CEV. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  8. ↑ "The Founding Five". Volleyball League of America. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Lloy Ball's Official Site". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
  10. ↑ Wiehe, Jeff (September 19, 2023). "Home detention for Olympian's third OWI conviction". WANE-TV . Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.