Kerri Walsh-Jennings - The Animal
BEACH VOLLEYBALL - OLYMPIAN - TEAM USA - AVP - FIVB
ARCHETYPE: THE ANIMAL
Day 51/135
Athletic Accomplishments
Kerri Walsh Jennings is the most decorated beach volleyball player of all time. She is the all-time leader in career victories (135) and winnings ($2,648,135). And counting.
Walsh grew up playing both volleyball and basketball in her home state of California, dominating as a multi-sport athlete. In 1995, she led her basketball team to a state championship. In volleyball, she was a three time state champion and the 1996 Gatorade National High School Volleyball Player of the Year, the first year the award was given.
At Stanford, Walsh was an immediate standout on the volleyball team, earning All-American honors and MVP of the Final Four in her freshman year. In her college career, she led the team to a 122-11 overall record, including four Pac-10 titles, and two NCAA championships. Walsh was also selected Co-National Player of the Year in 1999.
Following her college career, Walsh played professionally in both the AVP and FIVB. In 2001, she teamed up with Misty May-Treanor, and by 2002 the duo was ranked No. 1 in the world.
From that moment onward, Misty May and Kerri Walsh were literally unstoppable. They went on to 112 straight wins and 19 straight titles, a win streak that included the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, where the legendary duo did not lose a single set in all 7 matches on their way to claim gold medals. The duo also won gold in 2012, while Walsh was 5 weeks pregnant.
May-Treanor retired in 2012, but Walsh continued playing with a new partner, April Ross. The new duo went on to win bronze in the 2016 Olympics. Walsh is hoping to compete in this summer’s Olympic games with a new partner, Brooke Sweat.
Character Archetype: The Animal
They call her “Six Feet of Sunshine,” but Kerri Walsh Jennings is really 6’2” of lean muscle, fast reflexes, and killer instincts. She’s aggressive and physically dominant which is why it’s no surprise she led the AVP in both blocks and hitting percentage in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Her partnership with Misty May-Treanor remains one of the most dominant duos in all of sports history: 112 straight wins and 19 straight titles? Insane.
As the winningest beach volleyball player of all time, she is a nightmare for opponents, a demanding teammate, and an all-out winner.
Want proof? Walsh has won:
3 World Championships
44 FIVB World Tour Tournaments
4 Olympic medals, including a gold while 5 weeks pregnant
Walsh is bigger, badder, faster, and meaner than anyone else on the court. She is simply not human. She is an absolute beast.