VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS from United States

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary American Volleyball Players of all time. This list of famous American Volleyball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of American Volleyball Players.

1. Karch Kiraly (1960 - )

With an HPI of 47.39, Karch Kiraly is the most famous American Volleyball Player.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages on wikipedia.

Charles Frederick "Karch" Kiraly (; born November 3, 1960) 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 (man or woman) 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 currently the head coach of the United States women's national volleyball team leading them to their first-ever gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and thereby completing the "triple crown" of coaching an Olympic gold medal-winning team as well as personally winning gold medals in both indoor and beach volleyball.

2. Kerri Walsh Jennings (1978 - )

With an HPI of 41.31, Kerri Walsh Jennings is the 2nd most famous American Volleyball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings (born August 15, 1978) is an American professional beach volleyball player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a one-time Olympic bronze medalist. She is the beach volleyball leader in career victories as of 2016 having won 135 international and domestic tournaments. Walsh Jennings and teammate Misty May-Treanor were the gold medalists in beach volleyball at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. They also won the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. The pair set various records throughout their partnership, including a win streak of 112 consecutive matches (19 consecutive tournament titles) in 2007–2008, breaking their own previous record of 89 consecutive match wins. They have been called "the greatest beach volleyball team of all time."

3. Clayton Stanley (1978 - )

With an HPI of 35.92, Clayton Stanley is the 3rd most famous American Volleyball Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Clayton Iona "Clay" Stanley (born January 20, 1978) is an American former volleyball player, who was a member of United States men's national volleyball team, a participant of the Olympic Games (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012), Olympic Champion 2008, NORCECA Champion 2005, and multimedalist of the World League. In October 2021, he was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame, along with Logan Tom and Todd Rogers.

4. Lloy Ball (1972 - )

With an HPI of 34.09, Lloy Ball is the 4th most famous American Volleyball Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Lloy James Ball (born February 17, 1972, in Fort Wayne, Indiana) is an American former volleyball player, a member of American national team in 1993–2008, a participant of the Olympic Games (Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004) and gold medalist of Olympics Beijing 2008, gold medalist of the NORCECA Championship 2007 and World League 2008, silver medalist of the Pan American 1995, bronze medalist of the World Championship 1994, and 2015 inductee to the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. When not on the court actively playing the game, Ball operates Team Pineapple, a volleyball clinic that also features his father, Arnie Ball.

5. Kimberly Hill (1989 - )

With an HPI of 33.27, Kimberly Hill is the 5th most famous American Volleyball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Kimberly Hill (born November 30, 1989) 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.

6. Matt Anderson (1987 - )

With an HPI of 33.18, Matt Anderson is the 6th most famous American Volleyball Player.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Matthew John Anderson (born April 18, 1987) is an American professional volleyball player. He is part of the U.S. national team, a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and the 2018 World Championship, 2014 World League and 2015 World Cup winner. He is a multiple winner of the CEV Champions League with the Russian club Zenit Kazan. At the professional club level, he currently plays for Turkish club Ziraat Bankası Ankara.

7. Todd Rogers (1973 - )

With an HPI of 33.10, Todd Rogers is the 7th most famous American Volleyball Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Todd Jonathan Rogers (born September 30, 1973) is an American professional beach volleyball player who is an Olympic and FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship gold medalist. He and his former partner, Phil Dalhausser, were the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 AVP Tour champions. In October 2021, he will be inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame, along with Logan Tom and Clay Stanley.

8. Jordan Larson (1986 - )

With an HPI of 31.81, Jordan Larson is the 8th most famous American Volleyball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Jordan Quinn Larson (born October 16, 1986) is an American volleyball player and a three-time Olympic medalist. Larson won gold with the national team at the 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 gold medal meant that she had completed the rare trifecta of winning Olympic bronze, silver, and gold medals.

9. Micah Christenson (1993 - )

With an HPI of 29.62, Micah Christenson is the 9th most famous American Volleyball Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Micah Makanamaikalani Christenson (born May 8, 1993) 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 and the 2018 World Championship; the 2014 World League and the 2015 World Cup winner.

10. David Smith (1985 - )

With an HPI of 28.67, David Smith is the 10th most famous American Volleyball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

David Smith (born May 15, 1985) is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle and the U.S. national team. Smith was a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and the 2018 World Championship; the 2015 World Cup winner and a three–time Champions League winner (2021, 2022, 2023) with ZAKSA.