Kerri Walsh Elected to USA Volleyball Board

Our favorite six feet of sunshine, KT Tape athlete and two-time gold medal Olympian Kerri Walsh has been elected to serve on the USA Volleyball Board of Directors.  According to USA Volleyball Board of Directors Chairman David Schreff, she will be representing female beach volleyball players.  From the press release on www.usavolleyball.org: We are delighted to welcome two-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh as the newest distinguished member of our Board,” USA Volleyball Board of Directors Chairman David Schreff said. “For many years, Kerri has been an inspiration to many volleyball fans and athletes, and we are so excited for her to now add her eloquent voice to growing USA Volleyball's expanding investments to enhance volleyball's popularity here in the United States and worldwide.” "I am so excited to begin working with USAV,” Walsh said. “I love this sport – both indoor and sand – and hope to make positive contributions toward its growth and vitality from the ground, up. Specifically with sand volleyball, there is so much room for growth and progress. I can't wait to be part of that!” Walsh, who has missed competing for much of the past two beach seasons while giving birth to her first two children, has been a dominant force on the sand during most of the 21st century. She and beach partner Misty May-Treanor captured Olympic Games gold medals at the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games. Over the course of the two Olympics, the pair won 14 straight Olympic matches and 28 straight Olympic sets. Walsh and May-Treanor also won the SWATCH/FIVB World Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Walsh has won 103 titles on the FIVB and AVP/BVA tours and pocketed shared beach winnings of just over $1.8 million since going pro in 2001. She and May-Treanor have held winning streaks of 89 and 112 matches as partners on the beach. Walsh earned the FIVB Sportsperson of the Year and FIVB Best Blocker awards four consecutive years (2005 to 2008), while being honored as the FIVB Best Hitter for three straight years (2005 to 2007). In 2007, Walsh was named the FIVB Most Outstanding Player and FIVB Best Offensive Player. She and May-Treanor won the FIVB Tour Championship in 2002. On the AVP circuit, Walsh teamed with May-Treanor to earn AVP Team of the Year six consecutive years (2003 to 2008) and pulled in the AVP Crocs Cup Championship from 2006 to 2008. Walsh was the AVP Most Valuable Player in 2003 and 2004. Prior to becoming a top international beach player, Walsh was a successful indoor player as well. She was an opposite hitter on the 2000 U.S. Women’s Olympic Indoor Volleyball Team at the Sydney Games following a standout career at Stanford University. Walsh was the second player to be named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America First-Team for all four years of her collegiate career. She was also the first player in Pac-10 history to record 1,500 kills (1,553), 1,200 digs (1,285) and 500 blocks (502). Walsh will serve a four-year term through June 30, 2014. The position was previously held by Tyra Turner. Congratulations Kerri, we know you will do a stand up job serving the USA Volleyball Board. For more on Kerri visit her website here. Click here for more on USA Volleyball.